Si  II  IB 

ISli  l:fiS 


THE  HEAD   OF   A   HUNDRED. 


THE  HEAD  OF  A 
HVNDRED 


ri  c/^ccount  of  Certain/ 


in- 


Humphrey  HuntoonEsq. 
ofometime  an  Officer 
in  t/le  Cofony  of 
fyiroinui, 


Maud  Wilder  Goodwin 
C/?ut/ior  of  (*Jne 
Co  foniaC  Cavalier.  " 

-Ooston/ 
Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  , 


Copyright,  1895, 
BY  LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY., 


JOHN  \\^L^PN  ANP  ^ON",  tSAftrtiniDGE,  U.  S.  A 


To  A.  G. 

THE   CRITIC    ON    THE    HEARTH, 
THIS   LITTLE    ROMANCE    OF   COLONIAL    DAYS. 


M12036 


O°i/       f  S®     i 
Q/abie  ot  (^ontcn 


PAGB 

I.    PHILLIDA  FLOUTS  ME 9 

II.  AN  OLD  FRIEND  IN  A  NEW  LAND     .  30 

III.  A  SHIP  COMES  IN 42 

IV.  FORGIVE  ME 58 

V.  ACROSS    THE    BAY.  —  ABOARD    THE 

"  RED  Fox " 73 

VI.  WHAT  BEFELL  AT  ACCOMAC  ....  87 

VII.    CUPID 102 

VIII.    PARTING 116 

IX.    A  PRIVATE  QUARREL 132 

X.    I  SET  SAIL 145 

XL    FLOWER  DA  HUNDRED 151 

XII.    A  CHRISTMAS  GIFT 161 

XIII.  A  VISIT  TO  MY  NEIGHBORS    ....  169 

XIV.  THE  MUTTERING  OF  THE  STORM    .    .  182 
XV.    THE  STORM  BREAKS 191 

XVI.  "  OUR  LADY  OF  DELIVERANCE  "      .    .  201 

XVII.  IN  WHICH  WE  BURY  OUR  DEAD    .     .  210 

XVIII.  THE  RING  .                         .....  216 


"  I  beheld,  twirling  his  mustachios,  the  figure  of  a 

gallant " Frontispiece 

Drawn  by  SOPHIE  B.  STEEL. 

"  She  bent  her  head  and  I  stood  over  her"       .     .      68 
Drawn  by  JESSIE  WILLCOX  SMITH. 

"  Kneeling  beside  him    I   laid  my  hand   on   his 

head" 97 

Drawn  by  CHARLOTTE  HARDING. 
"  His  balance  being  weak,  he  fell  to  the  ground  "     142 

Drawn  by  WINFIELD  S.  LUKENS. 
"  With  a  shriek  they  turned  and  fled  as  from  a 

pestilence " 2O^ 

Drawn  by  JESSIE  WILLCOX  SMITH. 


Decorative  title  page  from  a  drawing  by  K.  Pyle. 

Three  decorative  headings  from   drawings  by  Clyde  O. 
De  Land. 


CHAPTER   I. 

PHILLIDA   FLOUTS   ME. 

|E  had  finished  our  journey.  The 
safe  harbor  of  Chesapeake  Bay  lay 
around  us,  and  only  one  more  night 
separated  us  from  a  new  land. 

It  is  ever  a  joyous  and  yet  a  solemn 
moment  when  a  ship  drops  her  anchor  after  a  long 
voyage.  'T  is  like  to  waking  from  a  dream.  Life 
hath  us  once  more  in  its  clutches.  We  have  come 
so  far  and  strained  our  eyes  so  long  to  catch  sight 
of  this  land ;  now  we  are  arrived  :  but  behold, 
close  beside  us  sits  that  black  care  from  which  we 
sought  to  fly  on  canvas  wings  ! 

Captain  Chester  was  keeping  his  midnight  watch, 
according  to   his   wont,   on    the   "  Margaret   and 
John,"  though  the  shore  lay  full  in  view,  and  all 
9 


-  >Thc- 'Head  of  a  Hundred. 

was  well;  but  a  ship,  he  said,  was  like  a  child, — > 
any  one  might  care  for  it  by  day,  but  a  mother 
and  a  master  must  be  on  guard  by  night. 

By  his  leave  I  was  sharing  his  watch  this  last 
night.  We  had  sat  long  together  without  speech. 
The  broad  bay  around  us  lay  with  scarce  a  ripple 
on  its  breast.  Not  a  breath  of  wind  was  stirring. 
A  single  point  of  light  on  a  low  strip  of  land  to 
the  northward,  told  us  that  there  lay  the  little 
settlement  of  Point  Comfort.  Everywhere  else 
the  shore  was  black  with  a  dense  growth  of  pines 
and  cedars,  whose  f ragrancy  was  borne  to  us  across 
the  still  air  of  the  April  night.  All  about  seemed 
new  and  strange  —  no,  not  all,  for  there  above 
shone  the  same  stars  to  which,  as  a  boy  in  Eng 
land,  I  had  looked  up  in  childish  wonderment. 
There  rode  Charles's  Wain  and  Orion  with  his 
belt,  and  high  above  all,  the  round  moon,  spread 
ing  a  pathway  of  light  from  the  ship  to  the  shore. 

Times  like  this  set  a  man  to  thinking  —  and  to 
remembering.  I  know  not  how  long  I  sat  thus 
steeped  in  mine  own  thoughts.  When  I  woke  to 
full  consciousness  I  noted  the  captain's  eyes  fixed 
on  my  hand. 

"  'T  is  a  ring  of  rare  value  that  thou  wearest. 
Methinks  I  have  looked  on  it  ere  now,  yet  can  I 
not  say  where." 

10 


Phillida  Flouts  Me. 

Truth  to  tell,  't  was  a  ring  that  might  well  draw 
the  eye  of  any  man,  and  strangely  ill  befitting  the 
finger  of  a  poor  soldier  of  fortune,  like  myself.  A 
prince  might  have  worn  it,  as  indeed  a  princess  had. 
Its  stone  was  a  star  sapphire,  milky,  yet  luminous, 
glowing  now  like  the  Northern  Light,  as  the  moon 
beams  fell  full  upon  it.  Above  it  was  an  arm  dexter, 
holding  a  poniard,  and  the  posy  bore  the  words  : 

"  God  be  near  thee,        •" 
On  land  and  sea  !  " 

The  gem  was  set  in  massive  gold,  delicately  in- 
wrought  and  intertwined;  on  either  side  stood  the 
initials,  "  E.  R." 

Her  glorious  Majesty,  Queen  Elizabeth,  had  be 
stowed  it  on  mine  uncle;  yet  it  was  not  of  her  I 
had  been  thinking,  but  of  another  "  E.  R.,"  the 
queen  and  tyrant  of  my  heart.  I  spake  not  the 
thoughts  that  were  in  my  soul,  but  buried  them 
under  a  careless  manner,  and  answered  lightly: 

"  Belike  thou  hast  seen  it  on  the  hand  of  mine 
uncle,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert.  He  had  it  of  Queen 
Bess,  together  with  a  golden  figure  of  a  lady 
guarding  an  anchor,  as  a  token  of  her  favor,  and 
accompanied  by  a  gracious  message  bidding  him 
be  of  good  cheer,  for  she  wished  him  as  good  a 
voyage  as  though  she  herself  were  to  be  on  his 
ii 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

ship.  Alas!  The  good  wishes  even  of  a  queen 
avail  little.  It  was  on  that  very  trip  that  the 
*  Squirrel'  foundered  off  the  Azores." 

"Ay,  and  the  noblest  heart  in  England  went 
down  in  her.  I  mind  me  well  when  it  happened, 
though  'twas  over  thirty  years  ago;  but  how 
happened  it  that  this  ring  perished  not  with 
him  ?  " 

"  Why,  he  had  no  mind  to  risk  such  a  treasure 
amid  the  perils  of  the  seas,  and  ere  he  went  on 
that  fatal  voyage  he  sent  the  golden  image  to  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh,  his  kinsman;  and  the  ring  he 
gave  into  the  keeping  of  my  mother,  then  a  slip  of 
a  girl  living  in  his  house,  saying  that  should  aught 
befall  him  it  was  his  will  that  the  ring  should  be 
hers.  Even  so,  in  God's  providence  it  fell  out. 
She  kept  the  ring  always  as  a  priceless  treasure, 
and  on  her  deathbed  bade  me  wear  it,  until  I 
should  place  it,  as  her  bridal  gift,  on  the  finger 
of  the  woman  I  should  wed.  So,  as  I  am  little 
like  to  marry  in  this  land  of  savages  to  which  we 
are  bound,  the  pretty  bauble  must  e'en  be  content 
to  tarry  on  my  brown  paw,  instead  of  gracing  the 
white  hand  of  a  lady." 

Part  of  the  bitterness  of  my  spirit  must,  against 
my  will,  have  found  its  way  into  my  tone;  for 
Captain  Chester  looked  at  me  a  moment,  then 

12 


Phillida  Flouts  Me. 

laying  his  heavy  hand  on  my  knee,  he  said  in 
his  deep,  kind  voice:  — 

"  Humphrey  Huntoon,  thou  canst,  maybe,  doctor 
the  body,  but  I  could  swear  that  thou  hast  thyself 
need  of  a  physician  of  the  soul.  Something  hath 
weighed  upon  thee  since  ever  we  set  sail  from 
London.  Indeed,  lad,  methinks  thou  art  not  wise 
to  keep  it  thus  secret  from  the  old-time  friend  of 
thine  uncle.  Next  to  a  priest,  there  is  no  father- 
confessor  so  good  as  a  sailor,  for  he  hath  no  chance 
to  blab,  save  to  the  waves  and  the  clouds.  Come, 
boy;  out  with  thy  secret,  and  then  thou  and  I 
will  bury  it  here  in  the  deep  bosom  of  the  '  Mother 
of  Waters,'  as  I  hear  the  naturals  have  named  this 
bay." 

It  was  ever  desperate  hard  for  me  to  confide  in 
another.  At  school  they  were  wont  to  call  me 
"the  tortoise"  because,  so  they  said,  I  but  poked 
my  head  out  of  my  shell  now  and  then  to  see  my 
way,  and  straightway  drew  it  in  again,  if  any  one 
so  much  as  looked  at  me.  But  now  the  darkness 
of  night  covered  my  shyness,  and  the  kindness  of 
the  captain's  voice  so  opened  my  heart  that  I  laid 
bare  the  grief  that  had  been  smouldering  within 
me. 

"  'T  is  the  old,  old  story,  captain,  tedious   as  a 
twice  told  tale.    'Tis  all  summed  up  in  few  and 
13 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

brief  words:  'He  loved  her  —  she  loved  him 
not." 

"  Ay,  then,  't  is  as  I  suspicioned ;  there  is  a 
woman  at  the  bottom  of  thy  trouble." 

"  Yea,  a  woman,  and,  O  good  father-confessor, 
such  a  woman !  Why,  Saint  Anthony  himself 
must  needs  have  fallen  down  and  worshipped  her, 
as  I  did  —  fool  that  I  was  !  " 

"  Not  the  first  fool,  by  a  thousand,  nor  the  last 
by  a  million  to  yield  to  the  bondage  of  a  satin  skin 
and  a  rose-pink  flush.  This  sweet-heart  of  thine, 
I  doubt  not,  is  as  fair  in  thine  eyes  as  Venus  and 
Dian  together." 

"  Nay,  father,  not  so  fast !  The  confessor  must 
not  put  words  into  the  mouth  of  him  who  kneels 
at  the  confessional.  I  never  said  that  Elizabeth 
Romney  was  fair." 

I  could  have  bitten  out  my  traitorous  tongue 
when  I  caught  it  thus  letting  slip  the  name  which, 
for  all  these  weeks,  my  heart  had  been  saying  over 
and  over.  But  the  mischief  was  done. 

"The  daughter  of  Sir  William  Romney,"  said 
the  captain,  "  is  entitled  to  some  dower  of  stately 
beauty  from  her  mother,  as  well  as  to  a  deal  of 
beastly  pride  from  her  father." 

"  Thou  knowest  Sir  William  ?  " 

"  Only  by  rumor,  which  speaks  not  too  well  of 

14 


Phillida  Flouts  Me. 

him.  An  I  mistake  not,  I  have  seen  his  name  in 
the  list  of  those  who  hold  stock  of  the  Virginia 
Company,  and  rumor  saith  he  looks  anxiously  to 
a  rise  in  its  value  to  help  his  falling  fortunes.  But 
't  was  of  his  daughter  we  were  speaking." 

"Yes,"  I  answered,  communing,  if  the  truth  were 
told,  more  with  myself  than  with  my  companion, 
"  —  yes,  of  his  daughter  and  her  beauty.  'T  is 
strange  I  ne'er  before  thought  to  ask  if  she  were 
fair.  To  me  she  ever  seemed  a  part  of  Nature. 
When  I  think  of  her  I  think  of  the  freshness  of 
the  morning  wind,  and  the  clearness  of  the  moun 
tain-pool  ;  yea,  and  sometimes  of  the  brawling  of 
the  angry  brook,  for  Mistress  Betty  is  never  twice 
in  the  same  mood  ;  but  will  play  the  stately  dame 
and  the  spoiled  child  within  the  one  hour.  Yet 
ever,  under  all  her  quips,  I  fancied  I  could  see  a 
true  and  tender  heart,  and  thus  I  forgave  her  all 
her  foibles,  —  nay,  to  be  honest,  I  think  I  but  loved 
her  the  better  for  them." 

"  Hast  known  her  long  ?  " 

"Ay,  since  ever  I  was  a  stripling  in  mine  uncle's 
house,  whither  my  mother  and  I  came  after  my 
father's  death.  We  grew  up  as  boy  and  girl  to 
gether  there  at  Compton,  down  in  dear  old  Devon. 
Romney  Hall  stands  hard  by  mine  uncle's  place, 
separated  but  by  a  little  stream,  which  flows 
15 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

between.  On  either  side  of  this  stream  we  have 
often  stooc4.,  she  and  I,  bandying  childish  jests. 

"  One  day  in  particular  I  do  recall,  when  she  was 
but  a  tiny  maiden.  She  scooped  up  the  water  from 
this  brook  in  the  cup  of  her  chubby  hand,  and  threw 
it  in  a  shower  over  my  new  suit  of  puce-colored 
velvet  with  lace  ruffles,  which  I  had  donned  in 
honor  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  who  was  paying  us 
a  visit,  on  his  way  to  London.  'T  is  a  hard  case 
when  a  lad  is  angry  with  a  girl  younger  than  him 
self.  'T  is  unmanly  to  conquer ;  't  is  cowardly  to 
yield.  My  youthful  heart  swelled  with  wrath  ;  yet 
I  spake  no  word.  I  gave  her  but  one  look  and 
turned  away.  In  an  instant,  heedless  of  her  pretty 
slippers,  she  had  waded  through  the  brook  and 
thrown  her  arms  about  my  neck,  begging,  with 
sobs,  to  be  pardoned  for  her  silly  trick." 

'Tis  strange  what  lightness  of  spirit  comes  with 
the  laying  bare  of  a  sore  heart.  Verily,  a  trouble 
half  told  is  half  healed.  Here  I,  who  had  not  been 
merry  for  months,  found  myself  now  smiling  in 
the  dark,  as  I  talked  of  those  pleasant  days  of  old. 
Then,  like  a  mourner  ashamed  that  he  hath  forgot 
his  grief,  I  caught  up  my  melancholy  once  more. 

"  Well,  well !  All  that  is  over  and  gone.  If  she 
loved  me  in  those  childish  years  (and  I  still  think 
she  did)  she  outgrew  the  foolishness  soon  enow. 
16 


Phillida  Flouts  Me. 

Yet,  from  time  time,  as  she  grew  into  maidenhood, 
she  let  drop  some  word,  some  hint,  as  tho'  she 
would  say,  '  Perhaps ! '  but  ere  I  could  pry  into 
the  meaning  of  her  words,  her  eyes  gathered  mer 
riment,  like  as  if  they  were  laughing  at  the  poor 
fool  who  allowed  himself  to  be  cheated  thus. 

"  Once,  ere  I  went  to  Oxford,  I  rode  beneath 
her  window.  She,  leaning  out  of  the  casement, 
did  drop  a  sprig  of  lad's-love,  which  a  moment 
before  she  had  been  holding  to  her  lips  ;  then, 
when  I  looked  up,  with  my  heart  in  my  eyes,  she 
slammed  the  window  to,  and  a  moment  later  I 
heard  her  calling  her  dog  within." 

"  Tush,  tush,  lad  !  A  woman's  ways  are  like  the 
maze  at  Hampton  Court.  If  thou  lose  the  clue, 
thou  mayst  wander  round  and  round  forever  and 
be  no  nearer  coming  out.  Why  didst  thou  not 
ask  her  flat  would  she  have  thee  for  her  hus 
band  ? " 

"  Why  not,  indeed  ?  Ah,  therein  lies  the  root 
of  all  my  bitterness  !  When  I  had  finished  my 
studies  at  Oxford  and  got  my  degree  as  a  phy 
sician  and  chirurgeon  in  London,  I  found  myself 
with  a  scanty  portion  of  a  thousand  pounds.  Yet 
had  I  none  the  less  high  hopes  of  carving  my  way 
to  fame  and  fortune,  as  other  men  have  done  from 
still  lower  estate.  This  did  I  write  to  Sir  William 

2  I7 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

Romney,  and  in  the  packet  I  enclosed  a  letter  to 
his  daughter. 

"  Therein  I  told  her  anew  what  she  knew  of  old, 
that  I  loved  her.  I  asked  her  not  to  share  the 
fortunes  of  a  poor  adventurer.  I  did  but  seek  a 
pledge  that  she  would  grant  me  a  year  and  a  day, 
and  a  promise  that  if  by  that  time  I  had  aught  of 
success  to  lay  at  her  feet,  she  would  look  on  my 
suit  with  favor." 

"  It  was  done  like  thyself,  Humphrey.  What 
answer  made  she?" 

"  Answer  !  Oh,  it  makes  me  mad  to  think  on 't ! 
She  might  have  said  me  nay,  and  yet  I  would  have 
gone  my  way,  loving  her  like  a  knight  of  old,  with 
out  hope  of  reward  or  return ;  but  to  be  flouted 
and  baited,  and  badgered  and  mocked,  when  I  had 
offered  her  that  poor  thing,  my  heart,  —  oh,  it  was 
ill  done !  " 

The  instinct  of  my  body  to  keep  pace  with  my 
restless  and  turbulent  soul  led  me  to  stride  up  and 
down  the  deck,  striving  to  master  the  storm  within 
me.  When  I  took  my  seat  again,  Captain  Chester 
drew  me  on  to  speak  further. 

"  Perhaps,"  he  said,  "  the  maid  was  but  the 
mouth-piece  of  her  father.  I  hear  of  him  every 
where  as  a  hard,  cold  man." 

"  Oh  !  Ay,  ay,  ay ! "  I  broke  in,  "  I  have 
18 


Phillida  Flouts  Me! 

said  all  that  over  and  over  to  myself,  like  a  mad 
man,  since  ever  I  received  Sir  William's  cool  note 
of  dismissal,  enclosing  the  daughter's  mocking 
lines ;  but  whenever  I  would  soothe  my  sore  heart 
with  the  thought  that  she  wrote  it  not  of  her  own 
free  will,  my  reason  says  :  "T  is  false,  and  thou 
knowst  it ! '  She  would  brave  a  thousand  fathers 
if  she  really  loved,  and  her  will  was  crossed.  I 
know,  of  course,  that  her  refusal  jumped  with  her 
father's  wish.  Since  ever  he  hath  been  under 
royal  disfavor  and  banished  from  court  on  sus 
picion  of  popish  plots,  he  hath  been  striving  and 
conniving,  if  so  he  might  not  wriggle  back  into 
power;  and  of  late  I  have  heard  that  he  reckons 
his  best  chance  to  lie  in  marrying  his  daughter  to 
that  shining  light  of  Protestantism,  the  Earl  of 
Chetwynd." 

"  But  if  he  is  a  papist,  why  should  we  seek  to 
wed  his  child  to  a  heretic  ?  " 

"Because  the  King's  crown  is  closer  at  hand 
than  the  Pope's  tiara,  and,  besides,  Chetwynd 
hath  real  religion  no  more  at  heart  than  Romney. 
She  to  wed  with  him !  Oh,  I  cannot  brook 
the  thought!  Let  her  marry  whom  she  will  so 
it  be  an  honest  man,  —  but  not  that  old  hawk! 
Ill  as  she  hath  treated  me,  I  could  not  bear 
that." 

19 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  And  art  thou  sure,  quite  sure,  that  she  hath 
treated  thee  ill  ?  " 

The  very  softness  of  the  Captain's  words  an 
gered  me,  for  'twas  as  if  he  were  talking  with  one 
whose  wits  were  wandering  and  who  could  not  be 
made  to  hear  reason  ti]l  he  had  said  his  say. 
Stung  by  his  doubts,  I  drew  out  from  my  jerkin,  a 
square  white  packet,  sealed  with  the  Romney  arms. 

"  See,"  I  said;  "'tis  the  sole  scrap  of  her  writ 
ing  I  e'er  received,  and,  truth  to  tell,  of  such  un 
pleasant  reading,  the  less  the  better." 

With  this  I  flung  the  letter  open  before  him. 

"  So,  by  way  of  forgetting  your  lady-love,  you 
carry  her  letter  on  your  heart !  "  said  the  captain, 
picking  up  the  writing,  with  a  smile. 

"  Perhaps,"  quoth  I,  ruefully,  and  paying  little 
heed  to  his  jibing,  "  't  is  as  well  her  answer  fin 
ished  the  matter  betwixt  us;  for  now  that  our 
army  is  withdrawn  from  the  Lowlands,  and  we  are 
at  cowardly  peace  with  Spain,  I  find  it  not  so  easy 
a  matter  to  open  the  oyster  of  the  world  with  a 
sword's  point,  nor  yet,  I  fear  me,  with  a  lancet's 
edge." 

While  I  plunged  along  thus,  Captain  Chester 
had  been  spelling  out  the  lines  by  the  aid  of  the 
ship's  light  (a  vile  one).  Anger  gathered  on  his 
brow  as  he  read. 

20 


Phillida  Flouts  Me. 

"  Why,  mark  ye,  Huntoon ! "  he  said,  as  he 
puzzled  over  the  paper,  "the  hussy  that  wrote 
those  lines  is  na  worth  the  paper  she  writes  on. 
'T  is  the  cheap  trash  caught  at  second-hand  from 
the  ladies  of  the  court  and  their  gallants  —  in 
rhyme,  too  !  —  why,  that 's  the  worst  insult  of  all ! 
When  the  heart  speaks,  it  uses  honest  prose,  and 
not  these  silly  quirks.  '  Her  love,'  she  says,  « was 
never  given  to  thee  ; '  and  what 's  this? —  Oh,  the 
insolence  of  a  Romney  bidding  Humphrey  Gil 
bert's  nephew  seek  a  sweetheart  of  his  own 
degree  !  I  would  I  had  her  here,  within  reach  of 
the  cat-o '-nine-tails  !  " 

As  the  captain  waxed  hot,  I  grew  cool.  Of  a 
sudden,  I  began  to  wish,  with  a  chill,  that  I  had 
held  my  tongue. 

"  An  it  please  thee,  good  Master  Chester,  we 
will  talk  no  more  of  her,"  said  I,  somewhat  stiffly. 
"  It  is  idle  to  seek  to  explain  my  feeling  to  one 
like  thee,  who  never  knew  the  hold  that  love,  yes, 
even  cheated  love,  hath  on  the  victim's  heart." 

The  next  moment  I  would  have  given  the  world 
to  call  back  those  hasty  words.  I  saw  the  cap 
tain's  ruddy  face  grow  of  a  sudden  white  as 
ashes. 

"  Be  silent,  prating  boy ! "  he  gasped,  fumbling 
at  his  neck-band,  as  though  something  hindered 

21 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

his  breathing.  For  an  instant  he  made  as  though 
he  would  take  me  by  the  throat;  then  he  sank 
back,  still  striving  to  open  his  coat,  that  the  burst 
ing  heart  might  find  room  for  its  throbbing. 

"  Pardon,  old  friend,"  I  cried.  "  I  meant 
naught,  trust  me,  by  my  thoughtless  speech,  save 
that  thou  hadst  been  wiser  than  the  rest  of  us,  and 
never  fallen  victim  to  a  foolish  passion." 

"  'T  is  I  should  ask  thy  pardon,  Humphrey ! 
There  is  no  sight  in  the  world  more  pitiable  than 
an  old  man  in  a  rage  over  a  trifle.  Forgive  my 
roughness,  and  forget,  if  you  can,  my  folly  !  " 

Made  bold  by  the  kindness  of  his  tone,  I  said : 
"  Perchance  thou,  too,  hast  need  of  a  father-con 
fessor  and  of  a  soul's  doctor." 

"Ay,"  he  answered,  in  a  deep  and  sorrowful 
voice,  "  That  have  I  —  no  man  more  !  " 

A  long  pause  followed. 

At  last  I  said  softly,  "  Is  it  some  old  love  of 
thine  own  that  my  story  brings  back  to  thee  like 
a  ghost  in  this  midnight  hour?" 

"  Alas !  With  me  't  is  no  boyish  folly,  but  a 
man's  sin  that  sits  heavy  on  my  soul.  Here  will 
I  confess  it  before  thee  and  before  my  God,  if 
haply  I  may  purge  my  soul  thus  of  some  share  of 
its  guilt  by  warning  another  against  the  cherishing 
of  hatred  and  bitterness. 

22 


Phillida  Flouts  Me. 

"  Listen,  Humphrey !  When  I  was  thine  age, 
I  was  a  callow  stripling,  free  and  bluff,  as  sailors 
ever  be,  trusting  every  man,  and  foolisher  still, 
every  woman,  who  bade  me  *  God  be  wi'  ye ! ' 
My  hands  were  in  and  out  of  my  pockets,  while 
a  crown  or  farthing  was  there,  and  I  wore  my 
heart  on  my  sleeve. 

"  Well,  there  was  a  maid  who  dwelt  in  the  little 
town  where  I  grew  up.  Hers  was  no  fiery  spirit 
like  that  of  thy  lady-love.  She  was  a  timid, 
shrinking  creature  with  an  eye  such  as  the  dumb 
animal  hath,  that  seems  to  speak  and  laugh  and 
pray  all  through  that  one  outlet.  Frail  she  was, 
and  soft  and  white  as  the  rose  which  clambered 
to  the  thatch  of  her  cottage.  I  loved  her  the  more 
that  she  was  so  unlike  me,  and  I  now  see  that  I 
was  to  blame  that  in  so  slight  a  nature  I  looked 
for  so  stubborn  a  virtue  as  constancy. 

"  One  night  —  't  was  just  before  I  sailed  on  a 
voyage  to  the  Spanish  Main  —  I  walked  with  her 
along  the  cliffs  at  Ilfracombe.  As  we  stood  look 
ing  down  on  my  ship,  —  the  '  Flying  Hart,'  I  mind 
me,  was  its  name,  —  I  asked  her  to  be  my  wife  when 
I  should  come  back,  and  I  pictured  to  her  the 
bright  future  when  I  should  be  master  of  a  vessel 
like  the  one  beneath  us,  with  a  wee  dark-eyed  wife 
to  bear  me  company  on  my  voyages. 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

We  kissed  and  parted,  and  't  was  agreed  that  our 
betrothal  should  be  kept  secret  betwixt  her  and 
me,  till  I  should  come  again,  to  claim  her  promise." 

The  captain's  voice  wavered,  and  then  stopped 
short.  He  gulped  hard,  as  tho'  striving  to  swallow 
down  some  feeling  too  mighty  for  him. 

"  The  <  Flying  Hart,'  "  he  went  on  at  length,  "  was 
gone  from  England  for  three  years.  The  other 
sailors  had  sweethearts  in  every  port  we  touched  ; 
but  I  never  gave  a  thought  to  any  woman  but  her. 
Each  night  ere  I  slept,  sometimes  amid  roaring 
tempests,  with  the  rude  gale  tossing  the  ship  from 
wave  to  wave  like  an  egg-shell,  my  last  thought 
was  of  her  in  her  peaceful  cottage  on  Ilfracombe 
Cliff,  and  I  prayed  Heaven  to  make  me  good 
enow  to  deserve  her  love." 

Here  the  captain  heaved  a  patient  sigh  which 
pierced  my  soul. 

"  Well,  well,  lad  !  'T  will  na  do  to  dwell  too 
long  on  that  time,  though  it  is  something  to  have 
known  three  years  of  happiness  in  this  life." 

I  waited  in  silence,  till  Chester  took  up  the  sad 
burden  of  his  story  once  more. 

"One  bright,  calm  morning  in  May,  our  good 

ship  came  into  harbor.     There  stood  the  craggy 

cliffs,  and  the  little  white  town  straggling  up  the 

steep  street,  just  as  I  had  left  it.     I  looked  to  see 

24 


Phillida  Flouts  Me. 

her  standing  on  the  shore,  and  when  I  missed  her 
from  the  crowd  which  had  gathered  to  welcome 
us,  my  spirit  sank  within  me,  for  I  feared  she  was 
dead;  but 't  was  worse,  lad,  worse  !  When  I  asked 
for  her  the  folk,  not  knowing  they  broke  my  heart, 
told  me  lightly  that  she  was  wed  to  a  carpenter. 

"  Wed!  I  staggered  as  I  walked  away,  and  those 
that  stood  around  nudged  each  other,  thinking  that 
I  was  overcome  with  drink ;  but  I  was  drunk  with 
grief,  and  mad  with  anger  and  the  thought  of 
vengeance. 

"  I  strode  up  the  steep  village  street.  Of  a 
sudden  mine  eyes  lighted  on  a  new  cottage,  builded 
since  last  I  was  at  home.  (Three  years  make 
mighty  changes  in  places  as  in  people.)  Whom 
should  I  see,  sitting  in  the  door-way,  but  her  that 
had  betrayed  me  I 

"  I  have  ever  believed  —  I  think  I  could  na  go 
living  but  for  the  thought  —  that  if  my  wrath  had 
but  had  time  to  cool,  I  had  never  done  the  thing 
I  did.  I  stood  there  before  her,  she  and  I  alone 
together  as  we  shall  stand  at  the  Judgment  Throne, 
and  I  —  I  cursed  her!  I  called  down  the  ven 
geance  of  God  on  her,  and  on  him  she  had  wed, 
and  on  the  children  she  should  bear." 

"And  she?"  I  broke  in,  "said  she  anything  in 
her  own  defence  ?  " 

25 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  Nay,  no  more  than  the  flower  defends  itself 
against  the  storm  that  beats  it  to  earth.  She 
went  white  of  a  sudden,  and  sank  to  the  floor. 
Thus  I  left  her,  and,  going  down  the  hill,  I 
found  another  ship  that  set  sail  next  day  for 
the  coast  of  Denmark,  and  I  sailed  in  her,  and 
for  nigh  fifteen  year  I  never  saw  Ilfracombe 
again." 

Silence  once  more  and  the  lapping  of  the  waves. 
I  longed  to  hear  further  this  strange,  sad  story  which 
had  come  near  to  drive  my  own  poor  little  tragedy 
out  of  my  mind,  yet  durst  I  not  urge  him  to  speak. 
I  was  glad  when,  a  moment  after,  he  went  on  of 
his  own  accord. 

"  My  heart  was  softened  by  those  years  of  ab 
sence.  Time,  which  dulls  all  things,  had  taken 
the  edge  from  my  anger  and  my  grief,  and  I  was 
shamed  when  I  bethought  me  how  I  had  cursed  a 
solitary  and  defenceless  woman.  I  came  back  to 
Ilfracombe  on  purpose  to  seek  her  out,  and  to  beg 
her  to  let  by-gones  be  by-gones  and  be  friends  once 
more. 

"  Again  I  inquired  for  her,  and  again  my  heart 
was  stabbed.  She  had  died,  so  the  neighbors  said, 
fifteen  years  syne,  within  three  months  of  the  day 
the  *  Flying  Hart '  came  into  port. 

"  She  had  been  with  child  then  (God  forgive  me 
26 


Phillida  Flouts  Me. 

for  my  cruel  words),  —  a  daughter,  that  was  born 
after,  whilst  the  mother  lay  a-dying. 

"  The  child,  they  said,  had  ever  been  strange ; 
wrong  like  i'  the  head,  and  had  never  spoken  a 
word." 

A  light  began  to  break  on  my  mind,  but  the 
matter  was  so  strange  and  full  of  bewilderment 
that  I  sat  as  one  dazed  and  spake  no  word  for 
some  minutes.  At  length  I  cried,  "  Can  it  be  that 
'twas  the  old  man  in  the  cabin  below;  and  the 
child  was  the  dumb  maid,  his  daughter?" 

"Ay,  Humphrey,"  quoth  the  Captain,  "  I  see  by 
thy  look  that  thou  hast  guessed  the  rest.  The 
carpenter  was  Giles  Lucas,  a  dull,  good  man  that 
ne'er  suspicioned  aught,  —  neither  our  betrothal 
nor  her  falseness  nor  my  cruelty.  'T  was  not  his 
fault  that  he  had  won  a  fickle  fancy  and  a  soft 
heart  away  from  their  vows,  by  kind  words  and  the 
promise  of  a  good  home. 

"He  is  well  enow,  well  enow,  but  when  I  saw 
him  and  his  dumb  daughter  amongst  the  pas 
sengers  on  my  ship,  I  was  filled  with  foreboding, 
though  I  be  not  a  coward  by  nature.  I  feared 
God  had  taken  me  at  my  word,  and  that  curser 
and  accursed  would  perish  together,  in  the  doom  I 
had  impiously  called  down." 

"  Yet  it  fell  not  out  so." 
27 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  Dost  thou  remember  the  twenty-second  of 
March,  the  day  we  met  the  Spanish  man-of-war?" 

"  Sooth,  I  am  not  like  to  forget  it,  since  that 
day's  fight  came  near  sending  us  all  to  the  bottom 
of  the  sea  !  " 

"  Ay,  well,  on  that  day  the  maid  fell  in  a  trance, 
and  her  finger  pointed  off  to  the  southard  (the 
direction  whence  that  foul  Spaniard  sneaked  upon 
us),  and  her  eyes  were  set  in  terror,  and  for  hours 
she  lay  so,  all  through  the  fight.  I  would  rather 
face  the  foul  fiend  than  look  upon  her  so  again. 
Bohun,  the  ship's  doctor,  thought  it  but  a  touch  o' 
the  falling  sickness ;  but  I  knew  better.  I  knew 
't  was  a  warning  of  that  which  befell." 

"  But  naught  of  harm  came  to  thee  after  all,  nor 
yet  to  her,"  said  I,  striving  to  comfort  him.  "  Did 
we  not  beat  off  those  dogs  of  Spaniards  and  slay 
their  admiral  ?  Troth  !  I  mind  me  still  of  the  look 
of  Giles  Lucas  as  he  stood  by  his  great  gun  on  the 
half-deck,  with  his  white  beard  floating  in  the  wind 
and  his  shot  scattering  ruin  and  confusion  among 
the  enemy,  till  one  cried  out  that  there  was  no  use 
contending  with  old  Death  himself.  Sure  the 
maid  must  be  a  white  witch,  for  it  is  good  and 
not  ill  she  brought  us." 

"Nay,   the   cloud  has    lifted    for  a  time,  but, 
Humphrey,  I   feel  it  in  my  soul   that  some  day 
28 


Phillida  Flouts  Me. 

the  curse  will  fall ;  and  I  feel  too,  and  that  with 
out  sorrow,  that  my  fate  is  somehow  bound  up 
with  the  fate  of  that  maid,  and  that  the  same  blow 
that  strikes  her  will  fell  me  too.  God  is  just,  and 
I  am  guilty  !  " 

The  ship's  bell  sounded  the  end  of  the  captain's 
watch.  The  mate  came  on  deck,  and  I  went  be 
low.  We  said  no  more  then,  or  for  long  after, 
touching  these  things. 


29 


CHAPTER   II. 

AN   OLD   FRIEND   IN   A   NEW   LAND. 

I  LANDED  at  Point  Comfort,  but  I  tarried 
thereabouts  only  a  little  over  three  months, 
for  I  saw  no  likelihood  of  earning  my  living, 
the  inhabitants  being  most  abominable  healthy. 
Being  told  that  at  James  City  fevers  and  such 
like  disorders  did  much  prevail,  owing  to  the 
dampness  of  the  marshes  and  the  muddiness  of 
the  drinking  water,  I  determined  to  betake  myself 
thither,  for  physicians  are  like  carrion  crows  and 
must  follow  the  scent  of  death. 

I  had  been  but  three  days  here  in  James  City 
when,  walking  one  morning  in  the  narrow  unpaved 
passage  between  the  wooden  houses  which  here 
does  duty  for  a  street,  I  beheld,  twirling  his  mus- 
tachios  on  the  next  corner,  the  figure  of  a  gallant, 
clad  in  rich  yet  shabby  dress.  The  lace  of  the 
ruffles  about  his  wrists  had  more  open  work  than 
the  maker  thereof  ever  intended.  The  points 

30 


An  Old  Friend  in  a  New  Land. 

which  held  his  doublet  and  hose  together  had  lost 
their  tags,  and  his  jerkin  showed  stains  of  weather 
and  of  wine.  The  face  above  it  was  likewise  some 
what  the  worse  for  both;  but  the  eyes  twinkled 
so  merrily  that  one  scarce  noted  the  redness  of 
the  nose,  and  the  gayety  of  the  lips  redeemed 
the  heaviness  of  the  chin.  At  least  I  thought 
so,  but  a  man's  judgment  is  ne'er  too  keen  when 
he  encountereth  an  old  friend  in  a  strange  land. 

At  any  rate  't  is  certain  that  a  man  may  look  the 
gentleman,  be  he  never  so  shabby,  provided  his 
beard  and  his  boots  be  well  kept.  Our  eyes  met 
on  the  instant. 

"Why,  slay  me,"  I  cried,  "an  it  be  not  Jack- 
in-the-Box ! " 

The  cavalier  laid  his  hat  with  its  bedraggled 
plumes  upon  his  heart,  as  he  bowed  low  before 
me  with  mock  ceremony. 

"And  can  this  be  that  Humphrey  Huntoon 
whom  I  remember  lean  and  learned  there  in 
London  aforetime,  while  the  rest  of  us  were  kill 
ing  the  fatted  calf,  and  making  merry  with  our 
friends  ?  " 

"Nay,  Jack,  thou  art  at  fault  in  thy  quotation, 
for  if  I  mistake  not,  't  was  the  father  of  the  prodi 
gal  that  killed  the  fatted  calf  to  make  a  rejoicing 
over  his  son's  reform,  but  thou  and  thy  fellow 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

roysterers  were  still  squandering  your  portions 
in  riotous  living." 

"  Ah,  rogue !  hast  thou  caught  me  tripping  in 
my  Scripture  ?  Well,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  think  my 
Bible  must  have  been  ymbeasiled,  for  I  found  it 
not  in  my  sea-trunk ,  so  I  have  not  been  able  to 
refresh  my  memory.  But  tell  me,  Master  Tor 
toise,  how  and  wherefore  art  thou  come  hither  ?  " 

"  Faith  !  't  is  the  very  query  I  was  fain  to  put  to 
thee,  for  the  last  word  I  had  from  thee  was  dated 
*  Ye  Sponging  House,  Fleet  Street.' " 

"  Yea,  man,  and  't  was  a  fair  investment  of  thy 
ten  pounds  that  lifted  me  out  of  that  vile  debtor's 
prison,  which  hath  detained  me  so  long  and  so  oft 
that  the  ribald  mirth  of  jesters  like  thee  hath 
christened  me  '  Jack-in-the-Box.'  I  shall  ne'er 
forget  that  kindness  of  thine;  not  that  I  would 
offer  to  repay  thee  in  filthy  lucre,  —  I  ne'er  insulted 
friend  after  that  fashion,  —  but  my  influence,  that 
valuable  which  costs  little  and  comes  to  much,  is 
at  your  service." 

"Thine  influence!  Wilt  thou  never  have  done 
with  that  ancient  jesting  habit  of  thine?  " 

"  Trust  me,  I  speak  but  the  sober  truth." 

"Then  'tis  the  first  time  Jack-in-the-Box  e'er 
spake  anything  sober." 

"But  I  tell  thee  'tis  not  Jack-in-the-Box  who 

32 


An  Old  Friend  in  a  New  Land. 

speaks,  but  Master  John  Pory,  secretary  to  his 
Excellency  Sir  George  Yerely,  Governor  of  Vir 
ginia.  Ay!  drop  thy  jaw  like  a  gaby  and  stare 
thine  eyes  out  of  their  sockets. 

Thus  things  proceed  and  vary  not  a  jot 
Whether  you  know  them  or  you  know  them  not." 

"Well,  then,  Master  John  Pory,  secretary  to  his 
Excellency  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  if  thou  in 
deed  hast  a  right  to  that  high-sounding  title  and 
art  not  masquerading  to  mock  at  my  credulity, 
why  then,  I  say,  thou  art  well  met,  for  I  am  travel 
ling  with  my  cap  in  hand  to  catch  whatsoever  larks 
maybe  falling." 

"And  I,"  quoth  he,  "am  the  man  to  drop  them 
ready  cooked  into  thy  hat.  Now  here  is  a  chance 
opening  for  thee  at  once.  The  governor  hath 
bade  me  make  ready  shortly  to  pay  a  visit  to  his 
Majesty,  the  Laughing  King  of  Accomac,  whose 
dominions  lie  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Bay  of 
Chesupioc  to  the  northward  of  Dale's  Gift.  I  am 
to  take  with  me  a  pinnace,  and  ten  men  fully 
armed,  for  the  king  hath  sometimes  a  trick  of 
giving  white-face  embassies  an  over-warm  wel 
come,  and  is  fond  of  preserving  locks  of  their 
hair  with  the  skin  attached,  as  a  keepsake." 

"And  are  these  the  larks  thou  didst  promise? 

3  33 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

that  I  shall  be  one  of  the  ten  to  be  roasted  over 
the  infernal  bonfires  of  these  savages?  I  thank 
thee,  good  John,  but  I  have  a  taste  for  gentler 
sports." 

"  Nay,  t  'is  not  death,  but  a  taste  of  life  I  am 
offering  thee.  I  have  often  told  thee,  with  the 
honesty  which  befitted  a  friend,  that  thou  art  too 
much  of  a  bookworm.  Thou  hast  need  to  learn 
of  our  brave  Captain  Smith,  who  made  his  boast 
that  he  scorned  to  sit  down  in  a  library  to  write  of 
other  men's  exploits,  but  that  he  did  rather  take 
his  pen  and  inkhorn  with  him  into  the  trenches 
and  behind  the  barricades,  where  what  his  sword 
did  his  pen  writ. 

"  So  shall  it  be  with  thee.  We  will  send  back 
to  England  'A  True  Relation  of  the  Habits  of 
the  Naturals  in  Virginia,'  writ  by  Humphrey 
Huntoon;  and  the  description  will  appear  but 
the  more  graphic  if  the  volume  be  bound  in  thine 
own  hide,  neatly  tanned  and  dressed  by  some 
copper-colored  squaw." 

"  John  Pory,"  quoth  I,  "  I  have  ever  observed 
that  another  man's  skin  maketh  excellent  subject 
for  sport,  but  I  have  such  respect  for  mine  that 
I  must  e'en  beg  of  thee  to  leave  it  out  of  thy  light 
and  profitless  discourse.  Quit  thy  jesting  and  tell 
me  in  all  seriousness  how  thou  likest  this  new  land." 

34 


An  Old  Friend  in  a  New  Land. 

"  Well,  sooth  to  say,  at  my  first  coming  I  liked 
it  not  at  all.  The  solitary  uncouthness  of  the 
place,  together  with  finding  myself  sequestered  from 
the  excitements  which  are  rife  in  the  great  world, 
did  more  than  a  little  vex  me;  but  liking  grows 
with  wont,  and  here,  among  these  crystal  rivers 
and  odoriferous  woods,  I  do  escape  much  expense, 
envy,  contempt,  vanity,  and  vexation  of  mind. 

"  I  can  see  readily,  friend  John,  of  what  benefit 
Virginia  hath  been  to  thee ;  perchance  thou  wilt 
also  make  it  clear  to  my  dull  wits  of  what  use  thou 
canst  be  to  Virginia." 

"  Hark  ye !  young  sceptic !  Didst  ever  hear  tell 
of  ye  secretary  bird  ?  " 

"  Ay." 

"Well  'tis  of  its  feathers  the  quill  pens  are 
made,  —  which  being  translated  signifies  that  my 
services  are  much  in  demand  for  writing  letters 
home.  These  documents  so  alluringly  set  forth 
the  charms  and  advantages  of  this  region  that 
the  readers  thereof  count  it  in  very  truth  '  Earth's 
only  Paradise,'  as  the  poet  hath  writ  of  it. 

"  I  send  such  accounts  of  the  black  Muscatel 
grapes  as  maketh  the  mouth  of  him  that  readeth  to 
water.  My  stories  of  the  plentifulness  and  great 
size  of  the  wild  beasts  and  the  household  animals 
do  greatly  attract  both  hunter  and  farmer ;  while 

35 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

the  women  folk  are  taken  captive  by  the  picture 
of  the  gewgaws  to  be  had  for  nothing  from  the 
savages,  and  gold  so  plenty  that  all  may  go  bravely 
dressed  even  o'  week-days,  and  as  for  Sundays, 
why,  I  set  forth  how  our  cattle-keeper,  which  is 
a  woman,  doth  wear  a  hat  of  silken  beaver,  smartly 
tricked  out  with  a  plume  and  a  band  of  pearl." 

"Thou  callest  thyself  a  secretary  bird,  but  to 
my  thinking,  thou  art  more  like  a  decoy  duck." 

"Nay,  but  rather  the  fowler  that  traps  the 
game." 

"  Ay,  and  thou  drawest  thy  net  cunningly." 

"  Perhaps,  but  my  conscience  is  of  such  a  ten 
derness  that  it  would  not  let  me  write  those  lines 
about  the  cattle-keeper  till  I  had  placed  mine 
own  Sunday  hat,  pearl  band  and  all  upon  her  head, 
whereat  she  was  so  pleased  that  I  am  fed  on  cream 
ever  since." 

While  we  were  thus  in  the  midst  of  jesting  talk, 
the  sound  of  the  church-bell  fell  on  mine  ear, 

"  How  now  ?  "  I  cried.  "  Are  my  wits  wool 
gathering?  Surely  'tis  not  the  Sabbath,  else  have 
we  two  in  a  week,  for  I  did  attend  service  in 
yonder  chapel  the  first  day  I  came." 

"  Two  Sundays  in  a  week  !  Faith  we  are  much 
more  like  to  have  but  one  in  two  weeks,  for  we  are 
not  a  godly  set.  But  I  tell  thee  this  is  a  greater 

36 


An  Old  Friend  in  a  New  Land. 

day  than  any  Sabbath.  Hast  thou  not  heard  that 
the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses  meets  to-day?  " 

"  Nay,  I  knew  not  that  it  met  to-day,  but  I  have 
heard  there  in  Kiccowtan  that  his  Majesty  hath 
proclaimed  that  Virginia  is  to  have  a  hand  in 
governing  herself,  at  least  in  so  far  as  jumps  with 
the  royal  will." 

"Ay,  man,  and  they  say  that  in  England,  the 
night  before  the  commission  was  issued,  a  flaming 
comet  appeared  in  the  heavens;  and  well  it  might, 
for  such  a  wonder  as  a  free  assembly  of  the  people 
hath  never  before  been  seen.  Well,  'tis  to-day, 
the  thirtieth  of  July,  that  the  House  meets  for  the 
first  time." 

"'Tis  wondrous  dull  in  me  to  have  forgot  it. 
Dost  thou  know  any  members?" 

"  Close  thy  mouth  and  open  thine  ears,  and  thou 
shalt  be  the  wiser.  Look  at  me,  and  thou  shalt  be 
hold  a  mighty  man,  a  man  of  office,  —  in  brief,  the 
speaker-to-be  of  the  House  of  Burgesses  !  " 

" Thou ! " 
«  j^j 

"  Ne'er  again  will  I  credit  the  saying  that  a  silk 
purse  cannot  be  made  out  of  a  sow's  ear.  To 
think  that  Jack-in-the-Box  should  come  to  be  a 
burgess !  " 

"  Strange,  but  true,  nevertheless.     Wouldst  like 

37 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

to  see  the  opening  of  the  session  ?  An  thou  wilt 
I  will  have  thee  a  pass  from  the  governor  to  enter 
in  with  me." 

Scarce  waiting  for  my  answer,  the  good-natured 
fellow  darted  into  the  doorway  of  a  house  some 
what  larger  and  grander  than  its  neighbors,  where, 
as  I  surmised,  the  governor  dwelt.  Shortly  he 
came  out  thence,  bearing  a  green  ribhon,  which, 
when  we  were  come  to  the  church  where  the 
Assembly  was  to  sit,  we  showed  to  the  door 
keeper,  and  straightway  he  let  us  in.  There  I 
betook  myself  to  a  seat  in  the  corner  while  my 
companion  returned  to  escort  the  governor. 

As  I  sat  thus  alone,  I  marvelled  much  that  so 
fine  a  church  should  be  builded  here,  as  'twere 
in  the  wilderness.  The  table  of  the  sacrament 
was  of  a  strange  dark  wood,  and  the  pulpit  and 
pews  of  cedar.  The  windows,  which  stood  open, 
were  wide  and  richly  cased  in  wooden  frames. 

The  air  in  the  church  was  of  a  rare  fragrancy, 
the  choir  being  trimmed  with  divers  plants,  and 
the  sacramental  table  decked  with  sweet-briar  and 
roses  and  the  red  swamp-lilies. 

Ere  I  had  fully  settled  my  wandering  wits,  the 
sound  of  a  fife  and  drum  struck  my  ear,  announc 
ing  the  arrival  of  the  burgesses,  and  presently  the 
procession  moved  up  the  aisle.  First  came  his 

33 


An  Old  Friend  in  a  New  Land. 

Excellency  the  Governor,  a  tall  man  of  soldierly 
bearing,  and  clad  in  robes  of  office.  With  him 
walked  the  Council  accompanied  by  a  guard  of 
halberdiers,  and  behind  came,  marching  in  pairs, 
two-and-twenty  Burgesses,  of  grave  and  imposing 
aspect. 

But  the  thing  which  did  most  amaze  me  was  to 
see  my  old  friend  Jack-in-the-Box  carrying  himself 
with  more  dignity  and  solemnity  than  any  in  the 
procession.  One  would  have  said  he  was  a  born 
bishop  that  had  somehow  missed  his  calling. 

When  the  Governor  was  come  to  the  choir,  he 
took  his  seat  on  a  green  velvet  chair  set  for  him 
with  a  cushion  for  his  feet.  The  Burgesses,  with 
their  hats  still  on  their  heads,  seated  themselves 
before  him.  A  reverend  clergyman  rose  to  offer 
prayer.  The  prayer  ended  and  the  roll  purged, 
an  election  was  held  and  the  governor  announced 
that  Master  John  Pory  was  chosen  speaker  of  the 
House  of  Burgesses  ;  whereupon  Master  Pory  rose, 
and  removing  his  hat,  stood  there  in  face  of  that 
dignified  body. 

Yes,  there  he  stood,  the  rogue  whom  I  had 
many  a  time  and  oft,  in  the  old  days,  helped  to 
bed  in  his  cups,  bearing  himself  with  a  swelling 
and  majestical  port,  as  tho'  on  Fortune's  cap  he 
were  the  very  button. 

39 


77;,?  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

I  swear  I  was  near  to  bursting  with  laughter  as 
I  listened  to  him  reading  in  a  loud  voice  the  king's 
commission,  and  then  the  great  charter  brought 
out  of  England  by  Sir  George  Yerely. 

"  I  would  fain,"  said  he,  "have  you  hearken  to 
these  laws  diligently,  that  in  case  you  find  aught 
not  perfectly  squaring  with  the  state  of  this  colony, 
or  any  law  which  doth  press  or  bind  too  hard,  we 
may,  by  way  of  humble  petition,  seek  to  have  it 
redressed;  especially  as  this  great  charter  is  to 
bind  us  and  our  heirs  forever." 

As  the  sound  of  his  voice  went  on  and  on  in  a 
single  tone,  and  as  the  drowsy  hum  of  bees  outside 
the  window  among  the  honeysuckle  swelled  in 
mine  ears,  I  fell  asleep,  and  in  my  dream  I  saw 
myself  standing  on  Magdalen  Bridge  in  Oxford 
with  my  hand  clasping  the  hand  of  Betty  Romney, 
as  we  hearkened  to  the  bells  tolling  from  the  tower 
of  Christ  Church. 

But  lo,  when  I  awoke,  it  was  but  the  bell  of 
the  James  City  Chapel  announcing  the  ending 
of  this,  the  first  session  of  the  Virginia  House  of 
Burgesses. 

As  Pory  and  I  tarried  in  the  porch  of  the  church, 
I  pointed  out  a  wild  and  rakish  fellow  playing  with 
the  silver  handle  of  his  rapier. 

"  Who  may  he  be  ? "  I  queried. 
40 


An   Old  Friend  in  a  New  Land. 

"That,"  answered  Pory,  "is  Captain  Henry 
Spelman.  He  is  like  to  be  had  up  before  the 
Assembly  on  complaint  of  Robert  Poole  who 
charges  him  with  malicious  speeches  concerning 
the  governor." 

"  He  looks  a  fiery  and  sparkish  gentleman." 

"  Ay,  and  one  that  will  light  the  flame  of  a 
mutiny  here  in  the  colony  if  he  be  not  quenched  in 
good  time.  I  do  remember  him  at  home  as  a  wild 
lad;  and  he  hath  not  mended  his  ways  since  he 
came  hither." 

As  Spelman  passed  out,  he  cast  on  us  a  black 
look. 

"  Pray  hath  he  aught  against  us?  "  quoth  I. 

"  Sooth,  I  know  not,  and  what  is  more  I  care 
not.  I  dare  say  he  holds  me  responsible  (which 
I  am  not)  for  the  charges  against  him,  and  belike 
he  deems  that  thou  and  I  are  putting  our  heads 
together  even  now  in  some  deep-laid  plot  against 
him." 

Pory  laughed ;  but  the  memory  of  that  scowling 
look  abode  in  my  mind,  and  the  day  came  when  I 
had  reason  to  recall  it. 

4* 


CHAPTER   III. 

A   SHIP    COMES   IN. 

T  WAS  down  for  a  week  with  that  wretched 
•*•  James  City  fever.  By  day  I  shivered,  and  by 
night  I  burned  with  a  consuming  heat.  Pory  said 
it  served  me  right  that  I  who  had  come  hither  hop 
ing  to  batten  on  the  misfortunes  of  others  should 
myself  fall  a  victim.  He,  for  one,  hoped  that  I 
should  get  no  relief  till  I  had  swallowed  all  the 
black  and  bitter  drugs  in  my  vile-tasting  and 
worse-smelling  collection. 

Thus  he  talked,  like  himself,  and  equally  like 
himself  he  stayed  by  my  bedside  day  and  night, 
scarcely  taking  off  his  clothes,  tending  me  as  if 
I  were  a  baby,  and  mixing  doses  of  the  bark,  a 
sovran  remedy,  till  he  saw  me  well  on  the  road  to 
recovery. 

My  convalesence  he  cheered  as  he  had  cured 
my  illness.     All  the  gossip  of  the  settlement  he 
brought    to    my   bedside.      I    learned   how   John 
42 


A  Ship  Comes  In. 

Twine  and  Tom  Pierce  were  at  loggerheads  over 
a  piece  of  land;  how  Captain  Powell's  servant, 
Thomas  Garnett,  for  evil  behavior  was  set  in  the 
pillory  with  his  ears  cropped  from  his  head ;  and  how 
Henry  Spelman,  the  one  who  scowled  at  us  from 
the  church  door,  was  found  guilty  of  speaking  ill 
of  the  governor,  and  sentenced  to  be  degraded 
from  his  title. 

One  day  (I  was  quite  recovered  then)  my  lively 
friend  came  bouncing  in,  full  of  excitement. 

"  A  ship  lieth  in  the  harbor,"  cried  he,  "  and  she 
hath  brought  —  what  think  ye  ?  " 

"  Sooth,  I  know  not.  How  should  I  ?  And  if  I 
did  'twere  cruel  to  spoil  thy  sport  by  saying  so. 
What  is  this  wondrous  cargo  ?  " 

"  Why,  twenty  maids,  come  out  with  one  that  is 
already  betrothed  to  Babcock,  the  blacksmith  !  " 

"Well,  what  of  it?" 

"  What  of  it,  man  !  Why  't  would  be  the  mak 
ing  of  the  colony  could  we  get  twenty  score  in 
place  of  one.  Ay,  I  say,  't  would  be  the  making 
of  this  colony.  A  ship-load  of  good  wives  were 
the  best  cargo  England  could  send  us." 

"And  thou  wouldst  choose  the  handsomest 
for  thyself  by  right  of  thine  office,  I  dare  be 
sworn." 

"  Nay,  not  I.      I  have  ever  had  too  poor  luck 

43 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

at  play,  to  throw  dice  with  Fate  for  such  heavy 
stakes." 

With  this  he  ran  out,  laughing. 

When  he  was  gone  I  stretched  my  head  forth 
from  the  window  of  my  lodging.  Yonder  in  the 
river  a  tall  ship  lay  black  against  the  shining  water. 
I  could  see  the  sailors  in  their  glazed  hats  and 
loose,  napping  breeches,  casting  anchor  to  the  time 
of  their  harsh  song.  Skirls  and  canoes  were  ply 
ing  busily  betwixt  the  ship  and  the  shore.  One 
curious  thing  I  noted,  that  whereas  only  one  went 
out  in  each  canoe,  two  came  back;  and  then,  as 
mine  ear  caught  the  ringing  of  the  church-bells 
and  mine  eyes  marked  the  gallants  who  had  gone 
of  late  ill-clad  and  worse-shaven,  now  tricked  out 
in  bands  of  fine  lawn,  and  ruffles  at  their  wrists,  a 
sudden  light  brake  on  me,  and  I  realized  that  all 
this  was  because  the  twenty  maids  were  come,  and 
straightway  these  bachelors,  who  till  now  had  been 
quite  content  in  their  single  estate,  must  set  their 
silly  hearts  on  being  married. 

"  Ho  there,  Master  John !  I  shouted  as  I  caught 
sight  of  Pory's  grizzled  head  and  pointed  beard 
under  my  window.  "  Read  me  this  riddle  :  What 
is  that  which  flies  when  pursued,  and  pursues  when 
fled  from  ?  " 

"  A  maid." 

44 


A  Ship  Comes  In. 

"  Verily,  thou  art  a  shrewd  fellow  to  have  guessed 
it.  Come  up  therefore  and  tell  me  all  thou  know- 
est,  which  thou  mayst  do  and  yet  be  gone  in  five 
minutes." 

"  That  my  civility  may  the  more  brightly  shine 
against  the  foil  of  thine  uncivil  words,  I  will  come, 
and  to  heap  coals  of  fire  on  thy  head,  I  will  tell 
thee  of  the  scene  on  shipboard.  The  choosing  of 
husbands  and  wives  went  on  as  merrily  as  the 
choosing  of  partners  for  a  country  dance.  It  was 
a  busy  market,  I  can  tell  thee." 

"  A  market —  how  meanest  thou  ?  " 

"  Why,  't  is  thus  they  manage  it,  by  bargain  and 
sale,  and  belike  'tis  as  good  an  arrangement  as 
any,  since  when  the  husband  hath  paid  down  his 
hundred  pound  of  tobacco  for  a  wife,  he  is  bound 
to  make  himself  believe  he  hath  a  bargain,  and  the 
wife,  seeing  he  hath  set  so  high  an  estimate  on 
her  worth,  in  honor  must  strive  to  live  up  to  his 
valuation." 

"  And  was  every  one  of  the  twenty  maids  married 
thus  ?  " 

"  Ay,  all  but  one ;  and  she  remained  without  a 
partner  from  choice,  which  thou  wouldst  have  de 
clared  impossible.  Many  offered  for  her  though 
she  wore  her  veil  and  coverchef  close  and  would 
not  show  her  features.  But  she  would  look  at  none 

45 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

and  went  off  at  the  last  to  lodge  with  her  friend, 
one  that  was  taken  to  wife  by  Miles  Gary.  I 
was  somewhat  struck  with  curiosity  over  the  con 
duct  of  the  one  unwed  maid,  and  I  searched  out 
her  name  in  the  ship's  register  where  she  is  set 
down  as  Elizabeth  Devon.  Now,  fare  thee  well ! 
for  my  five  minutes  are  over  and  if  I  told  thee 
more  'twould  be  what  I  know  not,  and  ergo, 
lies." 

After  my  nimble-witted  friend  was  gone  his  way 
I  sat  for  long,  looking  down  into  the  street  and 
watching  the  bridal  couples  as  they  passed  from 
under  Parson  Bucke's  blessing  to  their  new  homes. 
It  seemed  a  strange  and  abrupt  beginning  of  mar 
ried  life;  yet  they  appeared  no  less  content  than 
those  that  take  twenty  years  to  make  up  their 
minds. 

All  this  billing  and  cooing  and  setting  up  of  new 
households  made  me  feel  but  the  more  lonely  and 
doleful.  So  I  went  not  abroad  that  day,  tho'  I 
was  well  enow  to  be  out ;  but  sat  reading  and  study 
ing  with  no  other  comforter  than  my  pipe.  But  to 
say  truth,  the  pipe  is  no  mean  consoler,  and  there 
is  no  friend  that  doth  so  adapt  himself  to  thine 
every  mood,  so  partake,  as  't  were,  the  very  shade 
and  subtlety  of  thy  thought  and  feeling  as  tobacco. 
Pory  would  fain  persuade  me  that  the  "Sweet 
46 


A  Ship  Comes  In. 

Scented  "  is  the  better  brand,  but  I  was  wed  from 
the  beginning  to  "  Bright  Orinoko." 

Well,  as  I  sat  thus,  the  day  wore  on  to  evening. 
The  flame  in  my  pipe  was  expiring  with  a  final 
flicker,  when  a  knock  sounded  at  my  door. 

"  Come  in  !  "  I  called,  and  Miles  Gary  entered. 
"  Why,  how  now,  Gary !  Art  thou  come  to  com 
plain  of  thy  bride  of  half  a  dozen  hours.  Hath 
she  beaten  thee  over  the  head  with  the  new  broom 
stick,  and  thou  art  shamed  of  thy  black  eye,  and 
come  to  get  it  healed  by  stealth  after  dark,  lest 
thou  be  the  laughing-stock  of  James  City?  " 

"  Nay,  't  is  nowt  like  that,"  answered  the  burly 
yeoman  as  he  stood  awkwardly  twirling  his  Mon- 
mouth  cap  on  the  end  of  his  finger.  I  saw  that 
my  jests  were  less  amusing  to  him  than  to  me. 
Folk  are  sometimes  like  that ;  so  putting  off  my 
jibing  tone,  I  asked  him  seriously  if  aught  were 
ailing  in  his  household. 

"Ay,  'tis  the  friend  of  my  wife."  He  grinned 
with  sheepish  pleasure  over  the  last  word. 

"  Is  that  the  unwed  maid,  Elizabeth  Devon,  of 
whom  Master  Pory  spake  ?  " 

"  Yea ;  her  arm  was  hurt  on  the  ship  in  a  storm, 

and  methinks  it  must  have  been  ill  treated,  for,  in 

place  of  mending,  it  grows  ever  worse ;   yet  have 

we  had  a  hard  task  to  persuade  her  to  see  the 

47 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

leech,  and  even  now  am  I  come  without  her  con 
sent.  I  fear  me  she  is  o'er  headstrong;  but  my 
Kate  will  have  nowt  said  to  her  save  wi'  cap  in 
hand,  and  she  gives  more  attention  to  her  friend 
than  to  her  husband." 

"  Well,  well,  that  is  but  natural.  Grumble  not, 
Gary;  but  remember  that  thy  courtship  must  be 
done  after  marriage,  and  be  content  to  bear  awhile 
with  coolness." 

I  took  up  my  box  as  I  spake,  and  we  went  out 
into  the  night  together.  As  we  walked  thro'  the 
town,  I  marvelled  much  that  all  should  be  so 
changed  of  a  sudden.  'T  was  no  longer  a  camp, 
but  a  village.  For  good  or  evil  the  first  English 
homes  had  been  planted  here  in  the  heart  of  the 
wilderness. 

We  stopped  before  Gary's  cottage  and  I  marked 
its  shining  neatness.  The  stepping-stone  in  front 
of  the  door  was  polished  smooth  as  marble,  and 
the  floor  within,  for  all  it  was  but  of  logs  rudely 
smoothed  with  an  axe,  was  clean  and  neatly  set  in 
order. 

As  I  stepped  into  the  kitchen  which  served  for 
hall  and  parlor  and  dining-room  all  in  one,  I  was 
greeted  by  the  mistress  of  the  house  with  a  deep 
bobbing  courtesy  which  brought  her  short  skirt 
down  over  her  bright  stockings  and  almost  hid 
48 


A  Ship  Comes  In. 

the  high  heels  and  pointed  toes  of  her  wedding 
slippers. 

"  Is  thy  friend  badly  hurt  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Ay,  sir,  she  suffers  much,  but  she  bears  it  ever 
with  so  brave  a  heart  and  so  cheerful  a  face  that 
none  would  guess  it  to  look  at  her." 

"  She  hath  learned,  perchance,  that  suffering 
may  oft  be  smiled  away.  Hast  thou  bandages 
and  swathing-cloths  at  hand  ?  " 

"  Nay,  not  rightly  at  hand,  but  a  plenty  in  the 
sea-chest,  which  hath  not  yet  been  opened.  Wilt 
thou  lend  a  hand  —  Miles  f  " 

I  could  but  smile  to  watch  the  coquetry  with 
which  the  name  was  spoken,  and  to  see  how  a  soft 
tone  and  glance  oiled  the  wheels  of  life  and  made 
the  half-sulky  husband  her  willing  slave. 

Foreseeing  that  the  uncording  of  the  chest  would 
be  a  matter  of  time,  I  stepped  to  the  door  of  the 
nearer  chamber  (the  house  boasted  but  two)  and 
finding  it  ajar,  I  bowed  my  head  to  its  low  pro 
portions  and  entered. 

The  room  had  been  filled  with  flowers,  in  honor 
of  the  home-coming  of  the  bride.  'T  is  wonderful 
to  me  how  thoughtful  and  tender  to  women  these 
rough  fellows  oft  be. 

The  window-sash,  its  panes  filled  with  oiled 
paper,  was  swung  open  and  the  night  wind  blew 
4  49 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

the  perfume  of  wild-rose  and  honeysuckle  in  my 
face.  I  can  feel  it  still.  A  single  candle  shed  a 
dim  light  around  and  threw  a  yellow  ray  on  a 
wooden  arm-chair  drawn  close  to  the  table. 

As  I  turned  me  toward  this  chair,  suddenly  my 
heart  stopped  beating.  If  the  thing  had  not  been 
so  wildly  impossible,  I  could  have  sworn  it  was 
Elizabeth  Romney  herself  sitting  there.  The  maid, 
whoever  she  was,  had  the  same  delicate  curve  of 
ear  and  throat,  the  same  droop  of  the  eyelid,  the 
very  trick  of  the  hand  lying  open  palm  upward  on 
the  knee. 

I  brushed  my  hand  across  my  eyes  and  looked 
again.  My  God!  —  Incredible! — It  could  not 
be !  —  yet  what  a  likeness ! 

Then  I  told  myself  that  I  was  going  mad  from 
dwelling  too  long  on  one  thought.  I  must  speak 
and  break  the  spell.  As  I  opened  my  lips,  a 
sudden  searching  conviction  fell  upon  me  like  a 
lightning  flash  that  this  was  indeed  she,  the  one 
woman  in  the  world  to  me. 

I  gasped  out :  "  Elizabeth  J  " 

The  maiden  turned,  and  for  the  first  time  caught 
sight  of  me  standing  thus  in  the  doorway. 

She  gave  one  low  cry  of  "  Thou  !  " 

After  that  one  word  we  faced  each  other  in 
blank  silence.  The  folk  in  books  have  ever  some 

50 


A  Ship  Comes  In. 

pat  speech  ready  for  such  a  moment ;  but  in  real 
life  'tis  not  so.  How  could  I  speak  when  my 
brain  was  whirling  like  a  mill-wheel,  and  my  voice 
choked  in  my  throat?  I  stood  still  and  looked 
upon  her,  and  the  longer  I  looked,  the  harder  I 
found  it  to  believe  that  my  eyes  were  not  playing 
me  a  trick. 

Yet  'twas  but  the  truth  they  told  me.  There 
she  sat,  —  she  that  had  been  brought  up  to  be 
tended  and  waited  upon,  and  compassed  about  with 
luxuries,  now  sick  and  suffering,  with  only  a 
wooden  arm-chair  to  rest  upon,  and  a  cottage  roof 
to  shelter  her.  How,  in  God's  name,  had  it  come 
to  pass  ? 

Her  face  was  deadly  pale,  for  all  she  had  been 
three  months  on  the  sea;  and  now,  as  she  gazed 
at  me,  she  grew  ever  whiter,  and  swayed  as  tho' 
she  would  fall  in  a  swoon.  But  all  the  while  she 
kept  her  eyes  fixed  steadfastly  on  mine.  They 
were  eyes  never  to  be  forgotten  by  one  who  had 
seen  them  once.  I  have  heard  folks  praise  the 
brilliancy  of  her  glance  and  the  curling  length  of 
her  eyelashes ;  but,  to  her  lover,  there  lay  a  subtler 
charm  in  the  tender  trouble  of  her  eyebrows,  bend 
ing  slightly  downward  toward  the  inner  corner.  I 
noted  it  now  as  distinctly  as  the  drowning  man 
counts  the  bubbles  in  the  water. 

51 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

I  was  the  first  to  find  my  voice,  and  I  hated 
myself  that  it  sounded  hard  and  stern,  when  I  was 
mad  to  fling  myself  at  her  feet  and  entreat  her  to 
trust  herself  to  me.  But  that  abominable  diffi 
dence  of  mine,  which  is  so  akin  to  pride  that  one 
is  oft  mistook  for  t'other,  played  me  false,  and 
made  me  seem  in  her  eyes,  I  doubt  not,  like 
a  pragmatical  schoolmaster  chiding  a  recreant 
child. 

"  Elizabeth  Romney !  —  am  I  dreaming,  or  is  it 
indeed  thou  —  come  on  the  ship  with  the  maids  ?  " 

An  angry  flush  swept  over  the  whiteness  of  her 
cheek  and  rose  to  meet  the  hair  that  curled  in 
childish  rings  round  her  little  ears. 

"Thou  art  thinking,  perhaps,  that  I  too,  like 
these  others,  am  come  three  thousand  miles  in 
search  of  a  husband?" 

I  knew  not  what  to  say,  and  so  I  said  nowt. 

"  Well,  believe  't  if  thou  wilt ! "  she  flung  out, 
her  eyes  one  blaze  of  wrath ;  "  but  believe  not  that 
thou  art  such  a  husband  as  I  would  seek,  —  not 
though  thou  wert  the  only  man  on  this  side  of  the 
ocean,  and  though  all  the  tobacco  in  Virginia  were 
the  price  in  thine  hand." 

"  I  am  not  like  to  believe  that,  Mistress  Betty," 
I  answered  bitterly.  "  Yet  would  I  rather  believe 
anything,  than  that  this  journey  is  a  mad  prank  of 

52 


A  Ship  Comes  In. 

thine  without  rhyme  or  reason.  Wild  and  venture 
some  thou  hast  ever  been ;  but  never  unmindful  of 
thy  sex  or  thy  station." 

"Which  means  that  now  I  have  shown  myself 
unmindful  of  both.  I  thank  thee,  Humphrey  Hun- 
toon  ;  but  till  I  seek  thy  counsel,  do  thou  keep  thy 
censure !  " 

I  know  not  what  we  might  have  spoken  further, 
for  anger  was  hot  in  both  our  hearts ;  but  at  that 
instant  Dame  Gary  and  her  goodman  came  in, 
bearing  a  roll  of  linen  and  a  whale-oil  lamp ;  which, 
vile  smelling  as  it  was,  gave  a  brighter  light  than 
the  candle. 

As  it  shone  on  the  maiden's  face,  the  look  of 
illness  and  suffering  was  more  plain  to  be  seen; 
and  I  cursed  myself  for  a  fool  that  I  had  forgotten 
all  this  time  the  arm  I  had  been  called  to  tend.  I 
took  the  linen  from  Dame  Gary's  hand  and  tore  it 
into  strips ;  I  laid  out  on  the  table  ointments  and 
balms,  and  then  I  turned  me  once  more  to  the 
patient. 

"Will  you  be  good  enough  to  let  me  see  the 
hurt  ?  "  I  asked  in  a  constrained  voice. 

Without  a  word,  she  threw  back  her  short  cape 
and  showed  me  the  right  arm  wound  round  and 
round  with  clumsy  swathings,  which  I  straightway 
set  to  work  to  unwind.  It  was  well  that  my  calling 

53 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

had  trained  the  fingers  to  work  coolly,  no  matter 
how  hotly  the  heart  might  be  beating. 

I  went  near  to  breaking  out  into  oaths  when  I 
laid  bare  the  arm,  and  saw  how  great  a  bungler 
had  had  charge  of  the  hurt  there  on  the  ship. 
Had  the  arm  continued  as  it  was  but  a  little  longer, 
it  had  been  past  the  aid  of  the  most  skilful  chirur- 
gery.  As  it  was,  that  which  had  been  so  ill  done 
must  be  undone  ere  it  could  be  set  right. 

The  doing  of  this  cruel  kindness  went  near  to 
break  my  heart;  yet  she  who  suffered  bore  it 
without  a  groan.  The  free  hand  grasped  the  arm 
of  the  chair  more  closely,  and  the  face  was  set  in 
the  look  of  one  who  would  die  ere  look  or  sound 
of  weakness  be  wrung  from  her.  Only  the  sharper 
drawing  down  of  the  eyebrow  marked  the  strain 
and  stress  of  suffering. 

At  length,  after  a  time  which  seemed  to  me 
longer  than  many  a  month  I  have  known  since,  the 
poor  arm  was  rebound  in  a  pair  of  splints,  hastily 
made  from  barrel  staves.  As  I  swathed  it  in  band 
over  band  of  linen,  I  turned  to  Dame  Gary  —  I 
dared  not  trust  my  voice  to  address  that  other. 

"Your  friend,"  quoth  I,  "hath  an  excellent 
courage." 

"  That  hath  she  I "  broke  in  Miles  Gary,  who 
had  the  true  English  love  of  bravery,  and  who,  as 

54 


A  Skip  Comes  In. 

he  stood  by,  holding  the  lamp  while  I  worked,  had 
been  greatly  stirred  by  the  sight  of  the  maid's 
endurance.  "Had  we  but  a  company  of  soldiers 
like  her,  we  had  no  need  of  a  stockade  round 
about  James  City.  We  would  harry  the  naturals 
out  of  the  land  before  Advent." 

"  Ay,"  put  in  his  wife,  "  but  ye  should  have 
seen  her  on  the  sea !  In  that  great  storm  when 
her  arm  was  broke,  she  was  the  only  one  of 
us  that  screamed  not  nor  wailed,  nor  wished 
herself  on  land ;  but  went  about  cheering  and 
encouraging  all,  so  that  the  captain  himseP  took 
note  on  her,  and  named  her,  *  Ye  Mistress  o'  ye 
Maides.' " 

Methought  I  saw  a  glance  of  warning  pass  from 
the  girl  in  the  chair  to  the  woman  in  waiting,  for 
she  straightway  brake  off  her  discourse,  and  spake 
quite  sharply  to  her  husband,  bidding  him  go  be 
fore  with  the  light,  that  we  might  follow  without 
breaking  our  necks  over  the  kitchen  settle. 

So  they  went  out  and  I  walked  behind  them 
stupidly  as  far  as  the  door.  There  I  found  my 
wits,  and  turning  back,  I  stepped  close  to  the 
arm-chair. 

"  The  doctor,"  quoth  I,  in  a  low  voice,  "  craves 
pardon  for  the  hurt  he  could  not  help." 

"  The  doctor"  she  replied,  also  speaking  very 

55 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

soft,  "  is  pardoned  in  advance,  for  he  hath  but 
done  his  duty.  For  the  friend,  't  is  another  matter. 
I  cannot  soon  forget  that  he  hath  failed  me." 

"  Yet  he  too  hath  but  thy  good  at  heart,  and  that 
thou  wilt  some  day  confess ;  and  so  must  I  leave 
thee.  Good-night,  madam  ! " 

I  spoke  the  last  words  in  a  louder  tone  and  bow 
ing  low  I  passed  out  of  the  chamber. 

In  the  kitchen  I  tarried  for  a  little  talk  and 
spent  the  time  in  taking  note  of  this  Dame  Gary, 
who  was  so  strangely  become  the  hostess  of  Mis 
tress  Romney.  I  studied  her  and  I  was  satisfied. 
"  This,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  is  no  prating  busy-body. 
That  mouth  shuts  close,  and,  methinks,  can  keep  a 
secret,  even  from  her  husband.  The  eyes  are 
small,  and  not  too  knowing;  but  the  little  they 
speak  is  truth.  Mistress  Romney  may  count  on 
her  faith  and  loyalty." 

"  Fare  ye  well,  good  people  !  "  I  said,  at  length. 
"  Nay,  never  mind  the  lantern.  I  can  see  my  way 
home  by  the  light  o'  the  moon,  e'en  tho'  it  be  not 
my  honey-moon.  See  to  it,  Dame  Gary,  that  thy 
friend  stirs  not  nor  quits  her  room  till  I  see  her 
again  !  " 

Despite  my  protest,  Gary  held  the  lamp  high 
above  his  head  as  I  departed.  It  shone  out 
cheerily  into  the  night,  but  it  could  not  throw 

56 


A  Ship  Comes  In. 

a    light    upon    the    black    bewilderment    of    my 
mind. 

"How  came  it  to  pass?  How  did  it  come  to 
pass?"  So  I  kept  asking  myself,  and  the  only 
answer  was  the  rustle  of  the  dark  pine  boughs  and 
the  lapping  of  the  river  on  the  beach. 


57 


CHAPTER   IV. 

FORGIVE   ME.' 

'HPHRICE  within  the  week  after  that  night,  I  saw 
•*•  Elizabeth  Romney.  The  first  time  she  slept, 
and  I  disturbed  her  not ;  the  second  time  I  but 
changed  the  bandages  on  the  arm,  and  she,  lying 
back  on  her  pillow,  feigned  a  weakness  that  forbade 
over-much  speech.  Her  conversation  was  after 
the  Scripture  injunction,  —  but  "yea,  yea,  and  nay, 
nay." 

"  Had  she  fever  ?  " 

"Nay." 

"  Had  she  slept  ?  " 

"  Yea." 

"  Was  the  arm  more  painful  ?  " 

"  Nay,  rather  less." 

Kate  Gary,  who  stood  by,  helping  me  to  bind  up 
the  arm,  and  who,  if  I  natter  not  myself  too  far, 
had  taken  somewhat  of  a  liking  to  me  from  the 
beginning,  would  fain  now  have  drawn  the  lady  on 

58 


Forgive  Me! 

to  longer  and  more  gracious  speech,  but  she  would 
not ;  only,  when  I  took  my  leave  she  lifted  those 
great  eyes  of  hers  and  said  :  "  I  thank  thee  !  " 

Mayhap  the   words   were  but   an  idle   form  of 
courtesy,  yet  none  the  less  they  shed  an  inward 
gladness  which  warmed  me  like  sunshine. 
"  I  thank  thee,"  sang  the  birds. 
"  I  thank  thee,"  nodded  the  tassels  of  the  corn. 
"  I  thank  thee,"  chirped  the  grasshopper  from 
beneath  the  broad-spreading  tobacco-leaf. 

Everywhere  as  I  passed  that  day  Nature  seemed 
pitched  to  suit  the  tune  of  my  mind,  and  echoed 
the  joy  in  my  heart. 

The  third  time  I  saw  her,  things  fell  out  in  this 
wise.  When  I  entered  the  door  of  the  Carys' 
cottage,  the  kitchen  was  empty,  but  not  lonely.  The 
kettle  sang  on  the  fire  and  a  cat  purred  on  the 
hearth.  Save  for  these  cheery  sounds  utter  silence 
reigned. 

I  pushed  on  to  the  entrance  of  the  sick-room. 
Through  the  open  door  I  saw  the  invalid  sitting, 
with  her  head  leaned  against  the  casement,  gazing 
out  toward  the  sea.  'T  was  nigh  sunset,  and  her 
head  stood  out  like  a  shadow  picture  against  the 
brightness  of  the  evening  sky. 

Her  attitude  was  full  of  pensive   charm,  but  it 
smote  upon  my  heart ;  't  was  so  full  also  of  list- 
59 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

lessness,  and  despondency,  and  longing  for  home. 
Slowly,  as  I  looked,  the  head  drooped  lower  and 
lower,  till  it  fell  upon  the  arm  outstretched  along 
the  window-sill,  and  the  shoulders  rose  and  fell, 
shaken  by  a  tempest  of  sobs. 

I  was  fain  to  beat  a  retreat  that  I  might  come  in 
again  after  a  noisier  fashion,  but  the  board  creaked 
beneath  my  feet  and  her  swift  ear  caught  the 
sound. 

She  raised  her  head  in  a  quick,  wilful  way  which 
was  her  wont,  and  brushing  away  the  tell-tale  drops 
which  still  stood  on  her  cheek,  she  said:  "I  — I 
was  not  weeping  ! " 

"  Who  could  have  thought  it  ? "  I  answered, 
smiling  at  her  childish  falsehood,  if  falsehood  it 
could  be  called,  that  was  as  transparent  as  the  mist 
of  morning. 

"  Poor  child  !  "  said  my  heart,  "  so  young,  so  far 
from  friends  and  fatherland,  why  shouldst  thou  not 
weep?"  But  that  accursed  diffidence  which  ever 
haunts  me  held  me  tongue-tied.  I  took  her  hand 
and  strove  to  hold  it;  but  she  pulled  it  away, 
looked  at  me  straight  a  moment  and  then,  laying 
down  her  head,  fell  a-sobbing  once  more  like  a 
homesick  child.  I  sat  me  down  on  the  window- 
seat  by  her  side,  and  looked  out  on  the  wide  ex 
panse  of  the  yellow  river.  "  See,"  I  said,  after  a 
60 


Forgive  Me! 

moment,  "  there  is  goodman  Gary  on  the  wharf 
loading  the  last  casks  of  tobacco  on  '  The  Tyger.' 
She  sails  to-morrow  for  home.  Wouldst  thou  not 
be  glad  to  be  aboard  ?  " 

"Thou  art  either  exceeding  cruel  or  passing 
dull." 

"Nay,  surely  not  cruel,  and  I  trust  not  duller 
than  the  rest  of  my  sex.  But  I  see  thee  sick  for 
home  and  I  long  to  help  thee.  The  captain's  wife 
sails  with  him  on  'The  Tyger,'  and  if  thou  art 
eager  to  go  too,  't  is  not  too  late.  Thine  arm  is  so 
far  mended  that  thou  mayst  safely  travel." 

"  Doctor  Huntoon,  thou  hast  ever,  despite  all  thy 
care  and  kindness,  treated  me  like  some  naughty 
child  that  hath  run  away  from  its  home  without 
counting  the  cost.  'T  is  true  I  have  left  my  father's 
house  secretly,  run  away,  if  thou  wilt ;  yet  could  I 
do  no  otherwise." 

I  wished  eagerly  that  she  would  speak  further 
of  her  reasons,  but  remembering  how  she  turned 
on  me  that  first  night,  I  durst  not  question  her,  but 
sat  there  silent,  thrilled  with  the  impotent  desire  to 
help. 

"  Ah,  well,"   she  went  on  presently,   "  bad  as 

things  are,  they  might  be  worse.     I  am  of  full  age, 

and,  thanks  to  my  mother's  legacy  of  jewels,  I  am 

not  dependent.     I  have,  moreover,  a  plan  in  my 

61 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

head  concerning  my  future,  of  which  I  should  have 
spoken  with  thee  ere  now ;  but  thy  manner  when 
first  we  met  was  so  deadly  cold  I  came  near  to 
catching  a  chill"  (here  she  gave  a  little  shiver). 
"I  vowed  then  that,  come  what  might,  I  would 
ne'er  look  to  thee  for  counsel,  nor  ask  thee  aught 
of  favor." 

"  'T  is  strange,"  quoth  I,  "  for  I  have  vowed  the 
same  of  thee.  Yet  may  some  priest  be  at  hand 
when  I  die,  to  shrive  my  soul  of  the  broken  oath, 
for  I  am  come  this  very  night  to  ask  a  boon  of 
thee.  But  first  let  me  see  the  arm.  Ah !  that  is 
doing  passing  well !  Another  fortnight  and  thou 
mayst  have  the  bandages  off  and  wear  only  a 
sling." 

"  The  boon  !  The  boon ! "  she  cried,  more  gayly 
than  I  had  heard  her  utter  speech  since  the  old 
days  down  in  Devonshire.  "  Do  not  waste  time  in 
talking  of  my  arm ;  but  proffer  thy  request !  If 
'tis  anything  in  reason,  and  humbly  asked,  it  is 
possible  I  may  not  say  it  nay." 

"  Be  it  so,  then !  "  I  answered,  catching  somewhat 
of  her  lightness  of  heart,  for  she  had  ever  that  way 
v/ith  her,  and  could  make  folk  round  her  smile 
or  sigh,  even  as  the  sun  makes  lake  and  mountain 
bright  or  dull  according  as  he  sheds  or  veils  his 
light. 

62 


Forgive  Me! 

"  Hear,  O  Queen,  mine  humble  prayer,  and, 
that  thou  mayst  the  better  comprehend  my  petition, 
listen  to  my  story  !  Once  upon  a  time  —  " 

"  Good,"  said  she,  "  it  beginneth  like  my  nurse's 
tales,  and  must  end :  '  they  married  and  lived  happy 
ever  after.' " 

When  she  had  said  the  words,  a  deep  blush 
spread  over  her  face  from  brow  to  chin,  and  she 
frowned  as  if  with  vexation  at  her  own  speech. 

"Nay,"  I  answered  gravely.  "It  hath,  I  fear 
me,  no  such  happy  ending." 

"  Well,  well ! "  quoth  she,  tapping  the  floor  im 
patiently  with  her  scarlet  slipper,  "  tell  on,  and  I 
will  interrupt  thee  no  more." 

"  As  I  was  saying,  then,  there  was  once  on  a  time 
a  brave  sailor,  and  his  queen  sent  him  as  a  token 
a  signet  ring  set  in  fine  gold." 

"  I  know,"  cried  Mistress  Betty,  lifting  her  head 
with  a  wonderful  stateliness  as  tho'  she  shared 
the  pride  that  was  in  mine  own  heart,  "  that  brave 
sailor  was  thine  uncle,  Sir  Humphrey,  and  the  ring 
is  the  one  on  thine  hand." 

"So  much,"  said  I,  laughing,  "for  thy  promise 
not  to  interrupt ;  but  thou  hast  guessed  it.  'T  is 
the  same  ring,  worn  first  by  my  uncle  and  then 
by  my  mother,  and  by  her  given  to  me  with 
the  injunction  that  I  wear  it  for  life  or  till  I 

63 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

should  place  it  on  the  finger  of  my  betrothed 
wife." 

I  saw  the  maiden  tremble  and  grow  white,  and 
I  understood  that  she  feared  I  was  about  to  bring 
up  that  old  sore  subject;  so  I  hurried  on. 

"  It  looks  now  as  tho'  I  should  wear  it  to  my 
grave  as  she  did,  if  I  have  the  good  luck  to  die  a 
natural  death  ;  but  I  cannot  bear  the  thought  that 
this  sacred  ring  may  fall  into  the  clutches  of  some 
vile  savage  ;  and  this  brings  me  to  the  substance  of 
my  petition." 

"  Say  on  !  "  said  Mistress  Betty,  but  the  life  was 
gone  from  her  tone,  and  I  misdoubted  but  that  I 
had  already  wearied  her  with  over-much  talking  of 
myself. 

"  Well,  then,  to  make  a  long  story  short,  I  am 
planning  to  go  to-morrow  with  Master  Pory,  the 
Governor's  secretary,  to  the  eastern  shore  beyond 
the  Bay,  on  a  visit  to  the  Laughing  King  of 
Accomac.  Since  no  man  can  foresee  what  may 
come  to  pass  there,  I  would  fain  be  on  the  safe 
side,  and  therefore  I  make  bold  to  pray  thee  to 
keep  my  ring,  to  wear  it  till  I  come  again,  and  if  I 
come  not,  then  to  wear  it  still  in  memory  of  one 
who  despite  all  his  blundering,  was  ever  true 
friend  of  thine." 

Mistress  Betty  took  the  ring,  and  slipped  it  on 
64 


Forgive  Me! 

her  slender  finger,  for  which  'twas  a  world  too 
wide.  She  twirled  it  round  and  round,  and  for  a 
long  while  she  spake  no  word.  Then,  lifting  up  her 
eyes  with  the  tears  still  swimming  in  them,  she 
smiled,  and  'twas  as  when  a  shower  breaks  and 
there  behind  it  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  shining  sky. 

" '  E.  R.,'  "  she  murmured  to  herself,  and  holding 
her  hand  out  before  her  with  the  ring  on  it.  "  They 
are  unlucky  initials.  They  stand  for  Elizabeth 
Regina,  a  poor  queen  who  died,  after  all  her 
grandeur,  solitary  and  deserted ;  and  for  Elizabeth 
Romney,  a  poor  maid,  whose  only  friend  goes  off 
among  the  naturals  to  be  rid  of  her." 

If  ever  man  was  a  dolt  and  a  dullard,  I  was  that 
wight,  that  I  spake  not  out  boldly  then  and  there, 
bidding  her  say  why  she  cozened  me  thus  with 
sweet  speeches,  —  she  that  had  played  with  my 
heart  and  flung  it  away  like  a  cast-off  trinket.  But 
the  passing  moment  was  sweet,  and  I  could  ill 
brook  the  thought  of  marring  it  with  harsh  words. 

"  Thy  friend,"  quoth  I,  "will  I  ever  be,  so  long 
as  I  live  ;  and  wherever  I  am  thou  hast  but  to  call 
on  me  for  whatsoever  help  it  lies  in  my  poor  power 
to  give,  and  it  is  thine.  That  thou  knowest  right 
well." 

Still,  by  a  sidelong  glance  I  saw  her  downcast 
look,  and  I  strove  to  cheer  her. 
S  65 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  For  this  visit  to  the  Indians,"  I  said,  "  't  is  a 
small  affair,  and  we  shall  bring  back  strings  of 
peak  and  roanoke  and  curious  embroideries,  and 
for  thee  I  will  bring  a  black  bear-skin  for  the  back 
of  thy  chair." 

She  smiled,  but  absently,  as  one  who  leaves  her 
lips  to  perform  the  duties  of  courtesy  while  her 
mind  is  gone  off  on  a  holiday.  Yet,  manlike,  I 
went  on,  dwelling  on  all  the  strange  experiences 
we  should  meet  and  all  the  travellers'  tales  we 
should  bring  home  to  make  her  merry  withal.  She 
did  but  half  hearken,  and  when  I  was  done, — 

"  At  what  hour  do  ye  set  forth  ?  "  said  she. 

"At  the  firing  of  the  sunrise  gun.  Pory  hath 
his  pinnace  ready  fitted  at  the  wharf,  and  if  the 
wind  fail  us  not,  we  should  reach  Kiccowtan  by 
noon ;  thence  we  cross  the  Bay  and  come  to  Acco- 
mac  at  such  time  as  pleaseth  the  old  man  who  sits 
at  the  cave  of  the  winds." 

"  And  your  coming  back  ?  " 

"  Why,  't  is  set  for  a  week  hence,  unless  the  king 
and  his  relatives  should  take  so  great  a  liking  to 
us  that  they  will  not  be  persuaded  to  part  from  us 
till  Governor  Yerely  do  send  a  special  messenger 
to  fetch  us." 

"  'T  is  well,"  she  answered,  speaking  somewhat 
short,  as  having  heard  enough. 
66 


Forgive  Me! 

Even  I,  slow  tortoise  tho'  I  be,  could  take  that 
hint. 

"  Then  fare  thee  well,"  said  I,  rising;  "  and  thou 
wilt  wear  the  ring  till  I  return  ?  " 

"  What  a  stupid  animal  is  a  man !  "  quoth  this 
chameleon,  changing  swift  as  lightning  from  weary 
to  sprightly,  and  showing  a  row  of  white  teeth 
in  the  most  charming  smile  in  the  world. 

"  Good  Master  Blind-as-a-Bat,  how  am  I  to 
wear  thy  ring  ?  Do  I  not  have  a  hard  enough 
task  as  it  is  to  keep  up  my  part,  and  wouldst  thou 
have  me  mix  dough  with  a  queen's  ring  on  my 
finger? " 

"  I  never  thought  of  that." 

"Well,  'tis  lucky  for  us  both  that  I  am  gifted 
with  a  woman's  wit.  I  will  wear  thy  ring,  yet  not 
thus." 

As  she  spake  she  loosened  the  ruff  about  her 
neck,  and  with  some  difficulty  her  left  hand  did 
undo  the  clasp  of  a  slender  chain  of  gold  made  in 
the  form  of  a  serpent  which  upheld  a  miniature 
of  a  brilliant  and  beautiful  dame  with  Mistress 
Betty's  own  soft  dark  eyes  and  waving  hair. 

"Yea,"  quoth  she,  "I  will  wear  it  beside  my 
mother's  picture  on  this  chain ; "  and  she  slipped 
it  on  in  a  trice.  "But,"  she  said,  looking  up  at 
me  with  a  question  in  her  glance,  "  how  am  I  to 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

fasten  it  again  with  my  right  arm  swathed  and 
bound  tight  to  my  breast." 

"  I  am  but  a  clumsy  tiring-woman,"  I  said,  "  but 
if  thou  wilt  tell  me  how  the  clasp  closeth,  methinks 
I  can  fasten  it." 

"  See,  then ;  take  this  end,  the  serpent's  head, 
in  thy  right  hand  thus;  and  the  tail  in  thy  left 
hand  thus  ;  and  fit  the  tail  into  the  mouth,  thus. 
Now,  do  thou  try ! " 

She  bent  her  head  and  I  stood  over  her,  stoop 
ing  that  I  might  the  more  closely  observe  the 
opening  in  the  serpent's  mouth,  but  my  hand 
trembled  so  that,  for  my  life,  I  could  not  bring 
the  head  and  tail  together,  and  I  thought  at  first 
I  must  e'en  give  up  the  task ;  till  at  length,  more 
through  luck  than  skill,  the  fastening  snapped 
together. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  have  given  you  the  trouble,"  says 
my  lady,  rising  very  grand  to  her  feet  like  some 
great  court  dame  now,  that  had  been  a  child  but 
five  minutes  before.  "  I  thank  you  and  I  wish  you 
good-night  and  good-bye." 

With  that  she  swept  me  a  stately  courtesy 
strangely  at  odds  with  the  tiny  bare  room ;  but 
I  matched  it  with  a  bow  as  deep  as  the  Duke  of 
Buckingham's,  my  hand  on  my  heart  and  my  sword 
standing  out  behind  ;  and  so  we  parted. 
68 


Forgive  Me! 

How  had  I  offended  her?  This  was  the  ques 
tion  I  asked  myself  over  and  over  again  that 
night  and  could  give  no  answer.  Did  she  feel 
in  her  heart  the  thoughts  that  thrilled  in  mine 
as  I  bent  over  her  there,  and  was  she  angry 
that  I  but  longed 'to  kiss  her?  Surely  that  were 
to  judge  more  harshly  than  the  Recording  Angel 
himself,  who  writeth  not  down  to  the  charge  of 
us  poor  sinners  those  perverse  inclinations  which 
we  do  steadfastly  resist,  and  carry  not  out  into 
action. 

The  next  morning  while  the  stars  still  shone  in 
the  summer  sky  I  was  out  of  bed,  and  making 
ready  for  my  journey.  My  apparel  was  not  fine ; 
but 't  was  fit  and  proper  to  its  uses.  My  leggings 
were  of  stout  leather  buttoned  over  a  pair  of  Irish 
stockings.  The  suit  of  rough  frieze  buttoned  to  my 
chin,  and  on  my  head  I  wore  a  Monmouth  cap. 
The  weather  was  colder  than  prevailed  here  ordi 
narily  at  the  season,  and  I  was  dressed  to  meet 
storm  as  well  as  sunshine.  About  my  waist  I 
wore  a  belt,  in  which,  beside  my  bandelier  filled 
with  powder,  I  carried  a  light  dagger,  and  over  my 
shoulder  I  slung  my  long  piece,  a  fine  one,  measur 
ing  nigh  five  foot  and  a  half.  My  box  of  physic 
and  instruments  of  chirurgery  I  strapped  together 
with  my  pipe  and  tobacco  and  a  leather  bottle  of 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

aquavitae,  and  rolled  all  round  with  my  sea-rug. 
Thus  I  set  forth. 

All  James  City  was  still  asleep,  save  the  watch 
man  who  was  just  putting  out  his  lanthorn  after 
the  last  cry  of  "  four  o'  the  clock,  and  all 's  well !  " 
Morning  was  already  breaking,  and  the  red  that 
flushes  the  sky  before  the  rising  of  the  sun  set  me 
to  thinking  of  friendship  and  love.  They  were 
queer  thoughts  to  haunt  the  head  of  a  man  going 
forth  on  an  expedition  among  savages ;  but  I  could 
not  get  rid  of  them,  and,  as  I  drew  near  Miles 
Gary's  cottage,  my  sentimental  mood  got  quite  the 
better  of  me,  and  I  stood  with  uncovered  head 
calling  down  peace  upon  that  house  and  them 
that  dwelt  therein. 

Of  a  sudden  I  was  'ware  in  the  silence  of  a  mov 
ing  of  the  window  sash  in  the  eastern  room.  A 
low  voice  called  softly,  "  Doctor  Huntoon  !  "  and 
at  the  same  moment,  Mistress  Betty  Romney  ap 
peared  at  the  casement.  She  was  clad  in  a  soft 
light  gown,  and  her  hair  fell  in  heavy  waves  over  her 
shoulders.  Very  young  she  looked  and  very  sor 
rowful.  I  bethought  me  of  that  scene  at  the  brook 
in  Devon  a  dozen  years  before. 

"  Mistress  Betty  !  awake  so  early  ?  " 

"  Yea,  doctor,  I  but  wished  to  speak  with  thee 
ere  thou  embarked  on  the  pinnace,  that  I  might  be 
70 


Forgive  Me! 

sure  I  heard  thee  aright  last  night.  I  think  thou 
saidst  I  might  take  off  the  bandage  from  mine  arm 
to-morrow  or  the  day  after." 

Little  cheat !  she  thought  nowt  o'  the  sort ;  but 
I  was  so  simple  no  suspicion  of  her  crossed  my 
mind. 

"  Take  off  the  bandage  ! "  I  cried,  "  at  thy  peril ! 
By  my  faith,  if  thou  and  Dame  Gary  have  no  more 
wisdom  than  that  betwixt  ye,  I  '11  e'en  beg  off  from 
Pory  and  his  expedition,  and  bide  at  home  to  look 
after  so  silly  a  patient." 

"Nay,  Humphrey,"  quoth  my  lady,  the  friendly 
sunshine  playing  over  lips  and  eyes,  "  't  was  not 
quite  for  this  I  stopped  thee;  but  I  had  not 
the  courage  to  call  out,  '  Forgive  me  ! '  loud  enow 
to  wake  the  town.  Yet  I  could  not  let  thee  part 
from  me  in  anger." 

How  little,  keen  as  she  was,  could  she  read  my 
heart. 

"  Take  my  hand,"  quoth  she,  "  as  thou  wert 
wont  when  we  had  quarrelled  as  children,  and 
say,  '  Betty,  for  all  thy  naughtiness  I  do  forgive 
thee.' " 

Bending  low  over  her  hand,  I  raised  it  to  my 
lips,  murmuring  :  — 

"  Betty,  for  all  thy  naughtiness,  I  not  only  forgive 
thee  freely,  but  —  " 

71 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  Nay,  qualify  not  thy  forgiveness  with  any  '  buts.' 
Besides  if  thou  stay  for  further  speech  thou  mayst 
lose  thy  trip.  Yet,  ere  thou  go,  I  will  call  down 
on  thee  the  benediction  of  thy  ring  ;  — 

*  God  be  near  thee 
On  land  and  sea  ! ' 

Hearken,   Humphrey, —  'tis   the    sunrise    gun  — 
Begone ! " 


72 


CHAPTER  V. 


ACROSS   THE   BAY.  —  ABOARD   THE   "RED  FOX. 


on,  thou  long-legged   son  of   Satan! 

^-/  How  much  longer  wouldst  thou  keep  us 
waiting  while  thou  liest  snoring  away  the  morning 
hours  ?  *  The  wind  sits  in  the  shoulder  of  our  sail, 
and  you  are  stayed  for,'  as  the  old  man  saith  to 
his  son  in  the  play  at  the  Globe  Theatre.  Hamor, 
push  off  !  Allington,  see  to  it  that  she  dig  not  her 
nose  into  the  wharf  as  we  pass,  to  scrape  off  the 
new  red  paint  !  " 

"So!"  said  I,  "'tis  but  a  painted  beauty  your 
shallop  can  boast,  Master  Pory  !  Then  will  I 
none  of  her.  Give  me  a  beauty  that  shows  as 
well  by  sunlight  as  by  candlelight  ;  with  no  colors 
but  the  rose  of  youth  and  morning." 

"  How  now,  lads  !  "  cries  Pory,  with  a  comical 
twist  of  his  moustachios.  "  Have  we  a  madman 
aboard  the  '  Red  Fox  '  ?  He  cannot  be  drunk  at 
this  early  hour;  yet  he  raves  of  beauty  like  one 

73 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

that  hath  been  all  day  at  a  tavern.  'T  is  clear  he 
hath  need  of  a  strait-jacket,  being  light  i'  the 
head." 

"  Nay,  masters,  my  lightness  is  not  of  the  head, 
but  of  the  heart.  'T  is  true,  though,  that  this  Vir 
ginia  air  doth  go  to  the  brain  like  wine." 

"  Then  lie  down  there  in  the  stern,  and  drink  it 
in,  while  the  '  Red  Fox '  runs  before  the  wind,  as 
she  will,  gayly  as  a  bride  trips  the  measures  of  a 
contra-dance." 

Waiting  no  further  orders  or  urging  from  Pory, 
I  stretched  myself  out  on  the  deck  with  my  rug 
beneath  my  head,  and  my  cap  drawn  over  my 
eyes.  As  all  hands  were  at  work,  I  was  at  leisure 
to  dream  my  day-dreams  without  interruption. 

There  was  but  one  vision  ever  before  me.  A 
picture  of  youth,  and  hope,  and  morning  ;  an  open 
casement,  and  a  pale,  fair  face  looking  out  with 
drooping  eyelids  and  a  delicate  line  of  troubled 
eyebrows,  from  under  falling  masses  of  shadowy 
hair.  But  the  face  looked  on  me  with  kindness, 
and  I  held  a  soft  white  hand  in  mine. 

"Perhaps,"  I  thought  to  myself,  "there  is  yet 
room  for  hope.  She  feels  now  only  pity  that  she 
hath,  in  her  carelessness,  hurt  the  heart  of  a  friend, 
but  pity  is  cousin-german  to  love,  and  who  knows 
but  she  may  learn  to  love  me  for  the  love  I  bear 

74 


Aboard  the  " Red  Fox" 

her  ?  I  will  not  hurry  her.  I  will  give  her  time, 
and  compass  her  about  with  delicate  observances 
till  she  find  herself  turning  to  me  as  the  shy  pansy, 
at  last,  turns  its  face  to  the  sun.  Then  she  shall 
find  a  heart  beating  warm  and  true,  with  no  long 
ing  save  to  make  her  life  happy,  and  guard  her 
against  all  comers." 

Allcomers.  The  words  started  a  new  train  of 
thought  which  ere  long  bit  like  an  adder.  What 
if  some  of  these  settlers  and  adventurers  coming 
over  to  Virginia,  since  they  are  of  all  ranks  and 
degrees,  should  be  friends  of  the  Romneys,  and 
seeing  her  and  me  together  here,  should  send 
back  to  England  such  reports  as  made  men  be 
lieve  I  had  enticed  her  hither!  Would  any,  know 
ing  what  friends  we  had  been  from  childhood, 
believe  that  we  came  each  in  ignorance  of  the 
other's  coming  ?  " 

The  thought  pierced  like  hot  iron  into  mine 
honor,  yet 't  was  more  of  her  than  of  myself  that 
I  thought.  Dare  I,  then,  take  such  risks  for  her? 

To  ask  the  question  was  to  answer  it.  Nay,  not 
though  her  hand  were  the  prize,  would  I  run  such 
hazard.  We  must  part !  If  she  left  James  City, 
I  must  stay.  If  she  stayed,  I  must  go.  So  much 
I  then  and  there  did  vow,  but  the  force  of  my  will 
could  go  no  further,  and  I  resolved  to  let  my  future 

75 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

course  drift  before  the  wind  of  Fate.  Meanwhile 
I  determined  to  shake  off  the  load  of  care  which 
sat  so  heavy  on  my  heart,  and  throw  myself  into 
the  excitements  of  the  passing  moment. 

I  rose,  and  made  my  way  to  the  bow  of  the 
shallop,  where  sat  Pory,  making  laughable  efforts 
to  learn  words  and  phrases  of  the  Indian  tongue 
from  Tom  Salvage,  a  youth  who  had  lived  for 
some  months  among  the  naturals,  and  was  come 
on  this  expedition  as  interpreter  betwixt  us  and 
them.  Pory,  sitting  as  he  was,  kicking  his  heels 
against  a  barrel,  and  leaning  his  elbows  on  his 
knees,  looked  a  strange  head  for  an  embassy  of 
State.  It  was  ever  a  singular  thing  about  this 
man,  that  one  who  saw  him  grave  would  say  he 
never  jested,  and  one  who  met  him  in  jesting  mood 
would  swear  he  could  never  be  serious. 

Three  of  the  men  were  struggling  to  cook  a 
mess  of  oatmeal  porridge  over  a  stove  that  ap 
peared  to  have  the  rickets,  so  unstable  was  it  on 
its  legs.  As  I  strove  to  come  to  their  aid  and 
prop  up  the  stove  with  a  block  of  wood,  my  foot 
struck  against  a  long,  low  chest,  stumbling  over 
which,  I  was  like  to  break  my  neck. 

"  In  the  king's  name  I  command  you  meddle 
not  with  that  box !  "  sang  out  Pory. 

"  And  pray  what  is  sacred  in  that  unwieldy  thing, 


Aboard  the  "Red  Fox" 

set  along  the  deck  as  a  stumbling-block  to  the  un 
wary  ?  Doth  it  hold  State  treasure  ?  " 

"  Yea,  verily,  it  is  full  of  precious  articles.  Let 
me  see,  I  believe  I  have  the  list  here,"  and  draw 
ing  an  inventory  from  his  breast,  Pory  began  to 
read  aloud  in  the  sing-song  tone  of  a  seller  at  an 
outcry :  — 

"  '  Two  pieces  of  copper, 

Five  strings  of  blue  beads, 

Five  wooden  combs, 

Ten  fish-hooks, 

One  pair  of  knives, 

Six  scarlet  blankets,  and 

Twenty  Bibles.' 

"  All  these  to  be  solemnly  and  in  due  form  pre 
sented  with  the  compliments  of  His  Majesty,  King 
James  the  First  of  England  to  his  Royal  Brother, 
the  Laughing  King  of  Accomac." 

"  And  what  seek  you  in  exchange  for  this  box 
of  toys  and  trinkets  thus  strangely  mixed  up  with 
volumes  of  Holy  Writ  ?  " 

"  Why,  that  you  shall  know  when  we  sit  in  con 
clave  round  the  Indian  fires  on  the  eastern  shore, 
and  not  before.  To  tell  it  now  were  a  flat  betrayal 
of  State  secrets." 

"  Tell  me,  then,  at  least,  of  what  service  these 
Bibles  can  be  to  these  ignorant  savages,  who  can 

77 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

neither  read,  nor  so  much  as  comprehend  the  words 
if  one  reads  to  them  ?  " 

*'  Catechise  me  no  further,  I  pray,"  answered 
Pory,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  The  company  at 
home  hath  given  strict  orders  that  every  expedition 
to  the  naturals  do  carry  Bibles  for  their  conversion. 
These  good  Christians,  I  suppose,  think  it  no  more 
than  fair  that  if  we  take  away  the  inheritance  of 
the  savages  on  earth,  we  should  in  return  share 
with  them  our  interest  in  the  promised  land. 

"  As  for  the  poor  devils  themselves,  they  look 
upon  the  Scriptures  as  a  book  of  charms  where 
with  the  white  men  propitiate  their  god,  and  they 
hope  to  steal  the  secret  and  win  him  over  to  the 
red  men's  side.  So,  't  is  diamond  cut  diamond." 

The  men  laughed  loud  and  long  at  this  sally,  but 
I  felt  ashamed  in  my  heart  thus  to  be  trafficking 
in  holy  things  and  tricking  these  poor  ignorant 
beings. 

The  sun  had  risen  high  in  the  heavens.  We 
had  long  passed  the  bend  in  the  river  which  hid 
James  City  from  our  eyes.  Another  turn  brought 
a  broad  stretch  of  blue  water  in  sight ;  later,  when 
the  sun  stood  full  on  the  mark  of  noon,  we  saw  the 
long  tongue  of  sand  which  Point  Comfort  thrusts 
out  into  the  Bay,  and  soon  the  "  Red  Fox  "  swept 
into  the  quiet  harbor  of  Kiccowtan. 


Aboard  the  "Red  Fox:9 

"  Hulloa ! "  cried  I,  in  some  surprise,  "  Do  we 
put  in  here?" 

"  Ay,"  said  Hamor,  as  he  prepared  the  skiff  to 
go  ashore.  "  Here  we  take  on  Master  Rolfe.  See 
you  not  that  man  standing  on  the  shore,  holding  his 
boy  by  the  hand  ?  That  is  Rolfe,  and  since  ever 
his  Indian  wife,  Pocahontas,  died,  he  will  scarce 
let  the  child  out  of  his  sight." 

"  Pocahontas  !  —  why,  so  was  she  named  that 
all  London  went  crazy  after  in  London,  where  she 
was  known  as  the  Lady  Rebecca." 

"Ay,  'twas  she,  and  she  died  at  Gravesend, 
poor  lady  —  God  rest  her  soul !  As  for  her  hus 
band,  he  hath  the  longest  head  and  the  coolest 
judgment  in  the  colony.  Glad  am  I  that  he  cometh 
with  us  on  this  trip  which  (between  you  and  me)  is 
a  ticklish  business." 

While  he  spoke,  Hamor  was  busy  lowering  the 
boat,  and  now,  leaping  into  it,  sent  it  flying  across 
the  water  with  great  sweeps  of  his  stout  oars.  I 
looked  from  his  boat  to  the  shore  and  studied  the 
tall,  silent  man  who  stood  there  holding  tight  to 
the  hand  of  a  little  lad  with  dark  eyes  and  long 
straight  hair.  As  the  boat's  keel  grated  on  the 
sand,  he  took  the  boy  in  his  arms  and  strained  him 
to  his  heart.  Then  he  stepped  into  the  boat,  and 
without  a  backward  glance  put  off  for  the  shallop. 

79 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"Ha!  "  exclaimed  Pory  at  mine  elbow,  "here  is 
a  man  who  when  he  hath  put  his  hand  to  an  enter 
prise,  looketh  not  back,  tho'  what  he  loveth  best 
in  life  be  behind  him.  A  rare  man,  and  one  that 
will  stand  us  in  good  stead,  if  trouble  threaten." 

With  that,  he  put  out  the  boathooks  and  held 
the  skiff  while  Rolfe  came  aboard  ;  then  once  more 
the  boat  was  hung  on  its  davits  and  the  "  Red 
Fox "  was  skimming  across  the  open  water  of 
Chesapeake  Bay.  The  north  wind  blew  us  over 
to  starboard  till  our  rail  was  under  water,  and  our 
bow  cut  the  waves  like  a  knife.  Let  a  man  be  ever 
so  deep  in  love  or  grief,  his  spirits  must  rise  when 
he  looks  on  the  white  caps  of  the  green  billows, 
when  he  feels  the  salt  spray  on  his  face,  and  the 
dancing  deck  beneath  his  feet  keeps  time  with  the 
dancing  waves. 

At  sunset,  the  eastern  shore,  where  lieth  the 
kingdom  of  Accomac,  was  in  full  view.  First  we 
saw  a  blue  streak,  then  a  low,  sharply  cut  strip  of 
land  jagged  with  trees,  and  here  and  there  a  giant 
pine  towering  like  some  church  spire  among  its 
fellows. 

As  darkness  fell,  high  fires  of  brushwood  flamed 
along  the  shore,  and  told  us  that  we  were  expected. 

"  Now,  my  men,"  said  Pory,  summoning  all 
hands  on  deck,  "  I  have  a  word  to  say  to  you  before 
80 


Aboard  the  « Red  Fox" 

we  go  ashore.  At  James  City  yonder,  every  man 
is  his  own  master,  and  each  may  hold  his  head  as 
high  as  John  Pory.  On  the  shallop  'Red  Fox' 
likewise,  we  are  all  comrades,  and  you  will  bear  me 
witness  that  I  have  given  myself  no  airs,  but  made 
common  mess  with  the  rest  of  you,  as  a  good  sailor 
should.  So  far,  so  good !  But  from  the  moment 
we  set  foot  on  the  shores  of  Accomac,  things  are 
changed.  I  become  as  great  a  chief  as  any  Wer- 
rowance  of  them  all.  I  command;  you  obey. 
When  I  scowl,  you  tremble ;  and  what  I  say,  you 
swear  to." 

"  Ay  ay  !  "  shouted  the  men  with  one  accord. 

"  As  for  thee,  Huntoon,  thou  art  our  medicine 
man.  Gibbs  is  to  fall  desperate  sick  with  cramps 
and  thou  art  to  cure  him  with  a  mixture  of  worm 
wood,  peppers,  dandelion,  and  stewed  snails,  a 
portion  of  which  thou  mayst  afterward  present  to 
the  king  as  a  precious  medicament.  See  to  it  that 
the  concoction  be  very  hot  and  bitter." 

"  That  is  all  very  well  for  Huntoon,  but  hard  on 
my  poor  gizzard,"  muttered  Gibbs. 

"  Pshaw  !  thy  gizzard  is  like  leather  already  from 
thy  custom  of  strong  potations,  and  were  the  drink 
less  stinging  than  fire-water,  thou  wouldst  not  know 
when  to  swallow,  and  mightst  strangle  to  death  by 
taking  it  in  at  the  windpipe.  There,  lads,  yonder 
6  81 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

lies  the  inlet.  Put  your  helm  hard-a-port,  Hamor  ! 
Allington,  get  ready  the  boat  on  the  davits  !  " 

'T  is  a  great  thing  for  a  man  when  his  opportu 
nity  jumps  with  his  talents.  Here  was  this  Pory 
who  had  lain  idle  for  months  at  a  time  in  a  debtor's 
prison,  and  whom  I,  for  all  my  liking,  had  reckoned 
but  a  good-for-naught  and  a  ne'er-do-weel,  now,  face 
to  face  with  peril  and  difficulty,  showing  himself  a 
born  leader  of  men. 

"Before  we  go  ashore,"  cried  I,  "three  cheers 
for  our  gallant  captain,  John  Pory !  " 

The  cheers  were  given  with  a  will,  and  the  noise 
of  our  shouting  brought  the  savages  trooping  down 
to  the  water's  edge.  'T  was  the  first  time  ever  I 
saw  a  crowd  of  naturals  together,  and  I  hesitate 
not  to  say  that  I  little  liked  the  sight. 

Their  skin  was  of  the  color  of  dull  copper,  their 
hair  shaved  on  the  side  of  the  head  and  cut  in  a 
stiff  ridge  along  the  top,  like  the  comb  of  a  cock. 
Their  bodies  were  tattooed  in  fantastic  designs, 
and  further  decorated  with  strings  of  beads  and 
the  skins  of  animals  fastened  together  by  the  claws 
slant-ways  across  the  breast,  while  from  their  ears 
hung  dead  rats,  the  rat's  tail  through  the  hole  in 
the  ear,  so  it  swung  hideously  to  and  fro  as  the 
savage  walked.  Truly  their  silent  aspect  was 
terrifying  enough,  but  when  were  added  wild  yells 
82 


Aboard  the  "Red  Fox." 

and  the  waving  of  gleaming  tomahawks,  they  were 
dreadful  beyond  words. 

I  knew  not  how  my  comrades  felt,  but  one  man 
as  he  stepped  ashore  would  gladly  have  found  him 
self  back  again  on  the  "  Red  Fox,"  or  better  still, 
in  James  City. 

"  Whatever  happens,  Huntoon,  keep  close  at  my 
side,"  whispered  Pory. 

"Ay,  that  will  I.     A  leech  can  stick  no  closer." 

Pory  laughed  as  though  I  had  intended  a  play  on 
words,  but,  sooth  to  say,  I  was  never  in  a  less 
jesting  mood. 

We  were  welcomed,  however,  with  every  mark 
of  friendliness.  A  brave,  who,  judging  from  the 
number  of  chains  he  wore,  must  have  been 
a  great  man  in  the  tribe,  conducted  us  to  the 
presence  of  the  king,  whom  we  found  seated  in 
state  upon  a  couch  covered  with  blankets,  his 
warriors  ranged  behind  him,  spears  in  hand ; 
and  his  women  squatting  before  him  on  mats,  not 
over-nice. 

I  can  see  Pory  to  this  day,  as  he  stood  there  with 
the  light  of  the  fire  playing  on  his  face  and  his 
good  sword  gleaming  by  his  side,  —  a  man,  every 
inch  of  him. 

We  gathered  behind  him  at  a  respectful  distance 
holding  our  muskets  as  the  savages  held  their 

83 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

spears,  and  imitating  their  looks  of  reverence  for 
our  chief. 

Tom  Salvage,  kneeling  on  the  ground,  interpreted 
the  words  of  each  potentate  in  turn. 

"  You  are  welcome,  white  man  !  " 

"  Thanks,  noble  king  !  I  am  come  bearing  mes 
sages  of  friendship  from  my  master,  King  James  of 
England,  to  his  brother  the  King  of  Accomac." 

"  It  is  well.  Come  hither  and  sit  upon  my 
blanket,  and  I  will  share  with  you  my  pouch  of 
bright  Orinoco  and  my  pipe  of  Powhatan  clay." 

"The  honor  is  too  great,"  said  Pory,  bowing 
low,  but  with  an  indescribable  side-glance  at  me. 
"  Ere  I  accept  the  invitation,  permit  me  to  present 
at  least  a  portion  of  my  offerings." 

With  this,  Hamor  and  Gibbs,  who  had  been 
lugging  the  heavy  chest  from  the  shore,  now  set 
it  down  in  the  centre  of  the  circle.  Pory,  stepping 
forward  with  much  ceremony,  brake  the  seal  and 
laying  back  the  lid,  spread  out  the  knives  and  the 
beads,  the  blankets  and  Bibles. 

To  my  surprise,  the  eyes  of  the  grim  Indian 
king  glistened  most  at  sight  of  the  books,  and  he 
insisted  at  once  on  Salvage's  reading  a  chapter  to 
him.  The  interpreter  opened  to  the  account  of 
the  Creation  (which  I  confess  hath  ever  seemed 
to  me  rather  dull  reading),  but  the  king  listened  to 
84 


Aboard  the  "  Red  Fox?* 

every  word  with  much  attention.  When  it  was 
finished,  he  remarked  that  he  himself  was  like 
Adam  in  that  he  had  only  one  wife  at  a  time. 
He  took  the  book  and  held  it  tightly,  as  if  he  felt 
sure  it  contained  incantations  which  if  he  could 
but  master  them,  would  teach  him  the  secret  of 
the  white  man's  power. 

"  These  gifts  are  worthy  of  your  king,"  said  he. 
"  Pray  tell  me  what  he  would  condescend  to  accept 
from  me  in  return  !  " 

The  words  savored  of  irony,  but  the  Indian's 
mask  was  unmoved  and  showed  naught  of  his  feel 
ing.  Even  Pory's  assurance  was  abashed  for  a 
moment,  but  he  answered  smoothly :  — 

"  My  master  desireth  nothing  so  much  as  to  live 
in  amity  with  your  Majesty.  For  the  moment,  we 
are  short  of  grain  and  would  be  glad  to  buy  yours, 
and  we  would  like  your  royal  permission  to  till  the 
ground  at  Accomac,  and  to  impale  and  fortify  to 
guard  us  against  our  enemies  and  yours." 

The  eyes  of  the  old  king  gleamed  keen  as  a 
dagger  for  an  instant.  Then  he  answered  :  — 

"  The  King  of  Accomac  needs  not  the  white 
man  to  protect  him  against  the  red.  Grain  you 
shall  have ;  for  the  rest,  it  must  be  considered  in 
council.  Meanwhile,  be  at  home  in  Accomac  !  " 

When  the  interview  was  ended,  the  same  brave 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

who  guided  us  to  the  presence  of  the  king,  pre 
sented  himself  again  to  escort  us  to  our  sleep 
ing  quarters.  It  proved  that,  by  the  king's  orders, 
we  were  to  be  lodged  in  one  of  the  royal  wigwams, 
and  at  first  we  were  much  pleased  by  this  mark  of 
favor;  but  the  heat  and  the  smells  and  the  fleas 
proved  so  troublesome  that  we  were  fain  to  betake 
ourselves  to  the  open  air;  where,  spreading  my 
blanket  beneath  the  boughs  of  a  mighty  pine,  I 
fell  upon  sweet  slumber,  and  straightway  forgot  all 
troubles,  difficulties,  and  dangers. 


86 


CHAPTER  VI. 

WHAT   BEFELL   AT  ACCOMAC. 

rTT*HE  next  morning,  when  we  had  washed  our- 
•*-  selves  in  the  clear  waters  of  the  bay,  and 
dried  our  skins  by  the  aid  of  a  fan  of  feathers  (the 
gift  of  the  Queen  of  Accomac),  we  sat  us  down  to 
our  breakfast,  which  consisted  of  sod  bread.  This 
ill-boiled  dough  was  so  disgustful  to  me  that  I 
would  have  left  it  untouched,  but  Pory  motioned 
to  me  that  swallow  it  I  must,  and  the  keen  and 
suspicious  glances  of  the  naturals  enforced  his 
commands. 

When  this  substitute  for  a  meal  was  at  an  end, 
we  wandered  about  among  the  wigwams,  I  keeping 
ever  close  to  Pory  as  he  had  bid  me,  and  Salvage 
along  with  us.  Presently  the  king  who  had  been 
showing  us  his  rows  of  maize  and  other  grain 
growing  tall  and  ripe  in  the  August  sunshine, 
motioned  mysteriously  to  Pory  and  finally  drew 

87 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

us  into  a  thicket.  Here  he  unclasped  the  bear 
skin  from  about  his  neck  and  pointed  to  his  naked 
breast,  making  strange  sounds  the  while. 

"  What  saith  he  ?  "  Pory  asked  of  our  interpreter. 

"He  asks  if  you  see  any  deformity  on  his 
breast." 

"Tell  hinnno  ;  but  for  thy  life  add  not,  what  is 
more  the  truth,  that  mine  eyes  ne'er  before  lighted 
on  so  ugly  an  object  in  nature." 

'Twas  with  difficulty  that  Salvage  did  keep  a 
straight  face  while  translating  the  civil  portion  of 
his  captain's  answer  :  "  He  saith  '  nay.'  " 

"  Then  no  more,"  said  the  king,  "  is  there  any 
deformity  within ;  but  all  is  pure  and  sincere. 
Therefore  come  freely  into  my  country,  and 
welcome ! " 

Pory  bowed  low  in  response  to  this  proffer  of 
hospitality,  and  bade  Salvage  make  answer  that 
we  accepted  his  welcome  in  the  spirit  in  which 
'twas  offered  and  would  return  it  whenever  it 
should  suit  his  Majesty's  pleasure  to  come  to 
James  City.  But  to  me  apart  he  said:  "I  like 
not  altogether  the  aspect  of  this  fellow.  He  is  too 
civil  and  too  subtile." 

While  we  stood  thus  in  conclave,  a  messenger 
came  up  breathless  with  haste  to  make  known  to 
us  how  one  of  our  men  was  taken  suddenly  with 


What  Befell  at  Accomac. 

cramps,  and  doubled  himself  in  convulsions  as  one 
possessed. 

"  Trouble  yourselves  no  more  over  so  slight  a 
thing,"  quoth  Pory  with  a  lordly  wave  of  his  hand. 
"  I  have  with  me  a  medicine-man  who  can  cure  the 
sick  by  his  very  presence.  He  carries  a  vial  which 
containeth  a  liquid,  hot  to  the  tongue,  but  healing 
to  the  inwards.  Take  us  speedily  therefore  now 
to  the  sick  man  !  " 

The  Indian  led  on  and  we  followed,  —  I,  for  one, 
mightily  ashamed  of  our  stratagem.  We  found 
Gibbs  lying  on  the  ground  in  front  of  the  wig 
wams,  writhing  in  well-feigned  convulsions.  When 
he  caught  sight  of  us,  the  spasms  increased  in 
violence.  Kneeling  down  by  his  side,  I  poured 
out  some  drops  of  the  mixture  of  wormwood  and 
peppers  and  spearmint,  which  having  swallowed, 
he  straightway  revived,  and  sitting  up,  called  for 
cold  water,  which  indeed  he  needed  much,  since  the 
medicine  had  gone  nigh  to  choke  him. 

The  king,  seeing  this  marvel,  begged  that  we 
would  give  him  what  was  left  in  the  vial ;  I  gave 
it  him  and  he  showed  much  delight,  whereupon 
Pory  promised  him  that  he  should  have  a  jugful 
of  it  if  he  consented  to  the  requests  of  Governor 
Yerely. 

That  evening  a  feast  and  a  dance  were  given  in 
89 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

our  honor ;  and  I  do  protest  that  mine  eyes  ne'er 
beheld  a  sight  so  dreadful  to  look  upon,  as  these 
naked  savages  capering  about  with  wild  whoops 
and  waving  of  weapons  around  their  camp  fire.  I 
was  glad  when  it  was  over  and  we  laid  ourselves 
down  once  more  in  the  shadow  of  the  tree.  But 
whether  because  of  the  emptiness  of  my  stomach 
(for  my  hunger  did  refuse  to  be  appeased  by  their 
vile  dishes)  or  that  my  brain  was  so  full  of  the 
figures  of  dancing  savages,  I  could  not  sleep,  but 
lay  staring  up  at  the  sky  between  the  dark  branches 
of  the  giant  pine. 

I  watched  the  constellations  slowly  sinking,  one 
by  one,  toward  the  shores  where  James  City  lay, 
and  I  wished  that  I  could  travel  with  them  and 
look  down  on  a  little  cottage,  bare  and  rude  and 
thrusting  itself  boldly  into  the  dusty  road,  yet  for 
me  the  only  cottage  in  the  world,  the  shrine  where 
I  had  laid  my  heart. 

The  hours  passed  on,  unmarked  save  by  the  dew 
dropping  sharply  from  the  fresh  pine  needles  above 
to  the  withered  ones  beneath. 

"  Heigh  ho  ! "  I  thought,  "  't  is  tedious  work, 
this  lying  awake  alone.  Why  should  I  be  cursed 
with  sleeplessness  when  all  these  men  round  me 
are  sleeping  as  soundly  as  dogs  by  a  fire-side  ?  — 
Hulloa ! " 

90 


What  Befell  at  Accomac. 

With  my  eyes  half  open,  I  had  caught  glimpse, 
in  the  dim  twilight  before  the  dawn,  of  that  which 
dispelled  all  dreamy  reveries,  and  sent  my  blood 
bounding  madly.  What  I  saw  was  a  weird  and 
dark  face  peering  at  me  with  evil  snake-like  eyes 
from  behind  a  hemlock  tree  at  a  distance  of  per 
haps  twenty  feet. 

Tossing  my  arms  above  my  head  and  turning 
like  one  who  seeks  in  his  sleep  to  find  a  position 
of  greater  ease,  I  began  to  snore.  At  the  same 
time,  I  cautiously  opened  my  eyes  just  a  crack, 
but  wide  enough  to  see  another  Indian  behind 
another  tree  at  about  the  same  distance  as  the 
first.  We  were  surrounded  !  That  was  evident ; 
but  what  should  I  do  ?  To  move  my  arm  might 
be  the  signal  for  an  attack,  sure  to  prove  a  whole 
sale  slaughter  of  our  sleeping  men. 

At  length  I  bethought  me  that  an  old  physician 
had  told  me  how  he  had  oft  noted  as  a  singular 
thing,  that  anyone  firmly  bidden  in  sleep  to  do  a 
certain  thing,  would,  in  nine  cases  cut  of  ten,  obey, 
before  the  conscious  will  awoke. 

I  resolved  to  test  it  now. 

Without  moving  a  muscle,  I  whispered  low  but 
firmly  in  the  ear  of  Pory,  who  lay  next  me  :  — 

"  Blow  thy  whistle  !  " 

Opening  his   eyes   drowsily,   he  hesitated    one 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

awful  second,  then  drawing  his  silver  whistle  from 
the  breast  of  his  leather  jerkin,  he  blew  on  it 
thrice. 

It  was  the  alarm  signal  we  had  agreed  upon  on 
board  the  "  Red  Fox,"  and  the  men  responded  by 
leaping  to  their  feet,  each  grasping  the  musket  on 
which  he  had  lain.  The  shrill  note  had  startled 
Pory  himself  wide-awake,  and  his  swift  eye  took 
in  the  situation  at  a  glance. 

"  Come  on,  you  skulking  wretches !  "  he  cried, 
as  he  caught  sight  of  one  and  another  dusky  form 
hiding  in  the  underbrush.  We  are  only  ten,  but 
we  are  a  match  for  a  hundred  like  you. 

"  Salvage,  bid  the  king's  messenger,  him  that 
hath  been  our  guide,  stand  forth,  and  explain  this 
treachery,  if  he  can  !  " 

In  answer  to  Salvage's  summons,  the  Indian 
warrior  came  out  from  behind  a  tree.  He  looked 
on  me  with  murder  written  on  his  face. 

"How  now?"  quoth  Salvage  "Is  this  the  end 
of  your  king's  fine  promises,  that  he  would  have 
us  murdered  in  our  beds  ?  " 

"The  king,"  answered  the  Indian,  "hath  dis 
covered  the  treachery  of  the  pale-faces  who  would 
rob  him  of  his  son,  and  he  hath  doomed  to  death 
the  medicine-man  who  hath  so  betrayed  him." 

"What  folly  is  this?" 

92 


What  Befell  at  Accomac. 

"  'T  is  no  folly,  white-face !  The  king's  son, 
young  Oropax,  is  sick  unto  death.  When  he  was 
ill  with  fever  this  night,  the  king  did  give  him  the 
medicine  in  the  vial,  and  ever  since  he  hath  grown 
worse,  and  now  he  raves  and  knows  not  his  own 
father.  Therefore  is  the  king  angered  against  the 
white-faces,  and  vows  he  will  have  a  life  for  a 
life." 

"  So,"  said  Pory,  coldly,  "  he  was  like  Adam 
yesterday.  To-day  he  has  become  a  Moses.  Tell 
him,  Salvage,  that  he  is  all  wrong ;  that  we  have 
wished  the  lad  no  harm,  nor  any  to  himself ;  but 
as  he  receiveth  us  so  unkindly,  and  basely  with- 
draweth  his  hospitality,  we  will  be  gone  across  the 
water  and  he  shall  see  us  no  more." 

With  this,  Pory  gave  the  word  to  the  men  to 
close  in,  and  we  turned  to  the  path  leading  to  our 
skiff;  but  we  found,  as  I  had  expected,  our  way 
blocked  by  angry  faces,  while  threatening  voices 
round  us  called :  "  Give  up  the  medicine-man,  and 
the  rest  may  go  !  " 

"  Pory,"  said  I,  "  have  done  with  this  !  Sacri 
fice  not  ten  lives  in  the  vain  attempt  to  save  one ! 
Go  you  to  the  ship  and  leave  me  here  to  take  my 
chances !  I  will  make  a  fight  for  my  life  ;  but 
God  knows  I  value  it  not  o'er  highly." 

"  There  is  truth  in  what  thou  sayest,"  answered 

93 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

Pory.  "  We  stand  no  chance  whatever  here  in 
open  fight,  ten  against  a  hundred.  It  shall  be  as 
thou  hast  said." 

My  reason  told  me  that  he  was  right,  yet  it  cut 
me  that  he  would  give  me  up  so  readily. 

"  Rolfe,"  continued  Pory,  "  lead  these  men  to  the 
skiff,  and  withdraw  to  the  shallop.  Wait  till  six 
o'clock  to-morrow  morning.  Then,  if  we  come 
not,  depart  for  Kiccowtan,  and  return  with  what 
soever  men  you  can  muster,  to  rescue  us  if  living, 
to  avenge  us  if  we  be  dead." 

That  one  word  «/<?,  how  it  takes  the  sting  from 
death  itself!  Yet  was  I  more  than  ever  loath  that 
my  friend  should  thus  throw  away  his  life ;  but  he 
would  hear  no  entreaties. 

"  Be  silent !  "  he  said  sternly.  "  John  Pory  never 
yet  deserted  a  friend,  and  this  plight  is  owing  after 
all  to  me  and  my  scheming.  Rolfe,  begone !  " 

"  Faith,"  said  Rolfe,  with  a  sorrowful  counte 
nance,  "  't  is  the  hardest  command  I  did  ever 
receive." 

"  I  believe  it,  to  a  gallant  soul  like  thine,  but 
none  the  less,  it  must  be  obeyed.  Room  there  for 
my  men.  To  the  boat !  Forward,  march  ! " 

"  Ay,   Salvage,"  he  continued,  noticing  that  the 
interpreter  still  lingered,    "'tis  well.      We  shall 
have  need  of  thee.     Bide  thou  here  !  " 
94 


What  Befell  at  Accomac. 

There  we  stood,  we  three,  and  watched  our  cdm- 
rades  disappearing  thro'  the  tangle  of  the  trees  in 
the  gray,  desolate  dawn. 

"  Now,"  said  Pory,  turning  to  the  warrior,  more 
like  a  conqueror  than  a  prisoner,  "  we  will  to  your 
master  ;  lead  on !  " 

On  we  went  accordingly,  trampling  the  crackling 
boughs  beneath  our  feet,  and  ever  and  anon  put 
ting  back  with  both  hands  the  pine  twigs  which 
slapped  us  smartly  in  the  face  as  we  passed. 
When  we  were  come  to  the  king's  wigwam,  our 
guide  lifted  the  flap  of  matting  and  bade  us  enter 
Thus  we  did. 

'T  was  a  strange  scene  that  met  our  sight  thro' 
the  murky  air,  thick  with  the  smoke  of  a  smoulder 
ing  fire,  and  foul  with  the  breath  of  a  dozen  men 
and  women  crowded  together  round  the  bed  of 
pine  boughs  on  which  lay  the  form  of  a  youth  in 
delirium,  tossing  his  arms  and  moaning  and  mak 
ing  strange,  barbaric  noises. 

A  native  medicine-man  bent  above  him  uttering 
weird  incantations,  and  shaking  a  rattle  made  from 
the  tail  of  a  snake,  which  he  whirled  about  his 
head  whilst  he  squirted  water  from  his  own  mouth 
over  the  youth's  body. 

As  I  entered,  this  man  cast  on  me  such  a  look 
of  malignity  as  made  me  sure  that  it  was  more  to 

95 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

his  malice  than  aught  else  that  we  owed  our  pres^ 
ent  plight. 

Pory,  too,  caught  the  glance,  and  said  to  me  m 
an  undertone,  not  without  grim  humor :  — 

« I  might  have  known  it.  Two  of  a  trade  can 
never  agree." 

For  myself  I  determined  at  once  to  open  war 
with  this  man.  I  therefore  threw  as  much  disdain 
as  I  felt  into  my  tone,  as  I  bade  Salvage  to  ask  of 
the  king  why  he  allowed  his  son  to  be  put  to  death 
thus  by  a  medicine-man  who  knew  not  his  own 

business. 

"He  says,"  answered  Salvage,  "that  'tis  thy 
drugs  that  have  brought  him  to  this." 

«  Of  course,"  said  I,  "such  a  powerful  and  benef 
icent  medicine  as  the  king's  vial  contained,  can- 
not  be  used  carelessly.  The  cure  for  cramps  may 
kill  a  fever." 

«  Listen  now,  O  King  !  Our  lives  are  m  thy 
hands;  and  I  give  up  mine  a  ready  sacrifice,  and 
my  body  to  be  burned  at  the  stake,  if  I  heal  not 

thy  son." 

For  the  first  time  the  dark  looks  of  the  king 
lightened  a  little,  as  my  words  were  translated  to 

him. 

«  Try,  then,"  he  answered,  briefly.     "  Cure  and 

live,  or  kill  and  die ! " 


What  Befell  at  Accomac. 

vVith  the  last  words  a  tomahawk  fell  clashing  to 
the  floor,  and  I  saw  Salvage  shudder.  I  realized 
that  I  was  playing  a  desperate  game,  but  my  spirits 
rose  with  the  danger,  and  I  felt  myself  master  of 
the  situation. 

"  Your  Majesty's  trust  shall  be  justified.  Give 
me  but  my  way,  and  the  lad's  life  is  saved.  First, 
send  away  that  man ! "  I  pointed  toward  the 
scowling  medicine-man,  who  seized  up  a  bow  and 
arrow  at  my  words,  crying  out  that  the  One  Alone 
called  Kiwassa  demanded  my  blood ;  but  at  a  sig 
nal  from  the  king,  two  braves  pinioned  his  arms* 
and  marched  him  away.  I  then  sent  Salvage  and 
an  Indian  to  bring  all  our  blankets,  which  I  piled 
one  on  top  of  other  beneath  the  shade  of  a  tree,  for 
the  August  sun  was  already  waxing  hot.  To  this 
bed  I  had  the  poor  youth  carried,  still  waving  and 
tossing  of  his  arms.  Kneeling  beside  him  I  laid 
my  hand  on  his  head  —  't  was  burning  hot ;  then 
on  his  heart ;  't  was  beating  with  uneven  violence, 
like  the  waves  on  a  rocky  coast ;  thumping  as 
'twould  burst  the  ribs,  and  then  retiring  till  I  could 
scarce  count  its  throbbing.  I  did  not  hide  from 
myself  that  it  was  a  desperate  case.  I  had  seen 
men  like  that  die  in  an  hour ;  but  I  would  do  my 
best.  Selecting  three  Indian  youths,  I  bade  them 
take  the  leather  buckets  which  we  had  brought 
7  97 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

ashore,  and  fill  them  at  the  runlet  at  the  base  of 
the  hill,  bringing  it  fresh  and  fresh.  While  they 
were  gone,  I  set  Pory  and  Salvage  to  tearing  up 
their  underwear  into  strips.  When  the  water  was 
come,  I  dipped  my  hand  therein,  and  joyed  to  find 
it  cold  as  winter.  Plunging  the  cloths  into  the 
first  bucketful,  I  drew  them  out  dripping,  and 
covered  the  body  of  Oropax  from  head  to 
foot.  So  hot  was  he,  that  the  cloths  on  the 
head  were  heated  almost  before  those  on  the 
feet  were  applied.  But  I  saw  with  much  relief 
of  mind  that  the  second  cloths  were  not  so 
hot,  and  placing  my  hand  on  the  heart,  I  found 
it  calmer. 

Opening  my  medicine-chest,  I  drew  out  a  vial 
filled  with  the  essence  of  the  deadly  night-shade  ; 
a  rank  poison,  but  in  such  cases  as  these  and  used 
with  care,  a  most  valuable  medicament.  A  few 
drops  I  poured  into  a  small  tumbler  of  glass  given 
me  by  a  Venetian  in  London.  To  the  dose  I  added 
a  cupful  of  water,  and  raising  it  to  the  lad's  lips, 
bade  him  drink. 

No  sooner  had  he  quaffed  than  his  head  and 
arms  ceased  to  move  restlessly,  and  ere  long,  I  saw 
with  delight  that  he  slept.  Calling  for  the  queen's 
feather  fan  I  waved  it  above  him,  thereby  both 
driving  away  the  insects  which  hereabouts  do  be 
98 


What  Befell  at  Accomac. 

most  abundant  and  annoying,  and  also  keeping  up 
a  grateful  current  of  air. 

In  an  hour  Oropax  awoke  and  called  for  drink. 
I  gave  him  freely  all  he  craved  and  of  the  coldest, 
tho'  there  be  those  in  London  would  have  found 
fault  with  me  therefor ;  but  so  far  from  hurting,  it 
did  marvellously  refresh  him,  so  that  he  sat  up 
and  called  aloud  for  his  father. 

From  this  moment  I  breathed  freely.  "  Hurrah !  " 
I  cried  to  Pory,  "  we  have  fought  with  death  and 
won !  " 

"  Lad  !  lad  !  "  he  said  kindly,  with  his  arm  about 
my  neck,  "  thou  hast  saved  not  him  alone,  but  us 
all." 

When  the  soft  shades  of  twilight  had  fallen  and 
the  youth  lay  in  quiet  slumbers  once  more,  the 
king  sent  for  me.  "  Go  !  '  said  Pory ;  "  I  will  sit 
beside  the  sick  youth  and  see  that  no  villain  of  a 
natural  comes  near  to  undo  your  work." 

When  I  was  in  the  king's  presence  I  marvelled 
much  at  the  change  which  a  few  hours  had  wrought. 
Suspicion  and  distrust  had  given  way  to  a  friendly 
aspect.  With  his  own  hands  he  hung  chains  of 
beads  around  my  neck  and  set  a  cap  of  buckskin, 
stiff  with  embroidery,  on  my  head.  Finally  he 
bade  me  say  what  I  wished  of  him,  and  I  should 
have  it  even  to  the  half  of  his  kingdom. 

99 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  We  ask  naught,"  said  I,  "save  leave  to  depart 
for  our  own  country,  bearing  such  grain  as  you  are 
willing  to  sell  us.  We  would  counsel  you  in  friend 
ship  to  detain  us  no  longer,  lest  the  anger  of  our 
king  be  aroused  against  you,  for  he  is  mighty  to 
avenge." 

The  king  must  have  been  at  heart  a  craven,  or 
else  he  had  heard  wondrous  tales  of  the  prowess  of 
the  English,  for  he  quailed  at  my  words.  While 
I  was  uttering  them  we  heard  a  shriek  of  terror, 
and  beheld  crowds  of  savages  who  came  running 
from  the  shore,  cowering  round  the  king  and  cry 
ing  out  that  the  English  warriors  were  planning 
vengeance,  and  sending  fire-balls  from  the  ship, 
which  would  surely  burn  their  village,  as  one 
wigwam  was  already  on  fire. 

"  Go,  then ! "  said  the  king  suddenly  to  me. 
"  'T  were  well  to  be  at  peace  with  men  who  can 
save  or  destroy  life  at  will."  Stopping  for  no 
second  thoughts,  I  hastened  back  to  Pory,  who 
straightway  sent  Salvage  to  the  shore  to  make 
signals  that  the  firing  be  stopped  and  the  skiff  be 
sent  for  us.  Lines  of  Indians  carried  down  the 
sacks  we  had  brought,  filled  with  grain,  and  we 
made  ready  to  put  off ;  but  a  messenger  came  run 
ning  to  say  that  young  Oropax  would  fain  speak 
with  me ;  and  accordingly  Salvage  and  I  went  back, 
100 


What  Befell  at  Accomac. 

not  without  detecting  some  uneasiness  in  Pory's 
eye  ;  but  I  had  no  misgivings  now. 

The  Indian  lad  grasped  my  hand,  though  his  was 
almost  too  weak  to  hold  it. 

"  Give  him  every  two  hours  of  that  gruel  Salvage 
made,"  I  said  to  the  woman  standing  by.  She 
nodded  with  a  grunt.  I  believe,  like  all  women, 
she  resented  the  idea  that  a  man  could  cook. 

"  Oropax,"  explained  Salvage,  who  had  been 
bending  near  the  lad's  lips  to  catch  his  feeble 
accents,  "  desires  to  wish  you  farewell,  to  thank 
you  for  saving  his  life,  and  to  bid  you  ask  him  for 
some  gift." 

"Tell  him,"  I  answered,  "that  when  he  is  well 
again,  he  shall  shoot  for  me  the  biggest  black  bear 
in  Accomac,  and  send  the  skin  to  me  at  James 
City." 

The  Indian  youth  looked  up,  mightily  pleased  at 
my  request,  and  with  another  pressure  of  the  hand 
he  and  I  parted. 

When  we  were  come  to  the  shallop,  our  com 
rades  fell  upon  our  necks  and  wept  over  us,  for 
they  had  looked  on  us  as  doomed,  and  mourned  for 
us  as  already  dead.  As  dawn  brightened  we  set 
sail  from  harbor,  and  thus  ended  our  visit  to  the 
Laughing  King  of  Accomac. 
101 


CHAPTER  VII. 
CUPID. 

E  "Red  Fox  "shook  out  her  sails  briskly, 
as  if  only  too  glad  to  leave  behind  the 
treacherous  shores  of  Accomac ;  but  no  sooner 
were  we  fairly  out  in  the  Bay  than  the  wind  fell, 
and  we  lay  for  hours  in  a  dead  calm  beneath  the 
broiling  August  sun. 

We  were  thankful  enough  for  to  sight  Point 
Comfort  at  eventide,  and  to  anchor  off  Kiccowtan 
for  the  night.  Here  John  Rolfe  left  us,  to  my 
sorrow,  for  I  reckoned  him  a  stanch  and  true 
man. 

It  was  thus  on  the  twentieth  day  of  August,  and 
the  second  after  leaving  the  eastern  shore,  that 
our  pinnace  again  touched  at  James  City. 

"  Canst  thou  tell  me,"  I  asked  of  a  gallant  stand 
ing  on  the  wharf,  with  a  swashbuckler  air,  and  a 
plumed  hat  on  the  side  of  his  head,  "  what  was 
that  strange  craft  we  noted  as  we  came  in,  an 
chored  near  the  shore  ? " 

IO2 


Cupid. 

"'Tis  a  Dutch  man-of-war,"  he  answered.  "  It 
came  in  yestere'en  bringing  a  cargo  of  twenty 
blacks,  —  men,  women,  and  children.  They  were 
sold  this  morn,  at  public  outcry,  to  the  highest 
bidders,  for  field  hands  and  household  servants. 
Thereby  hangs  a  jest,  oh,  an  excellent  jest !  " 

Here  the  gallant  brake  off  and  stood  holding 
his  sides  as  though  they  were  like  to  split  with 
laughter.  When  he  was  recovered  enough  to 
speak,  "Thou  knowest  Spelman,  Pory?  "  he  said. 

"  Ay,  't  was  he  that  defamed  the  governor,  and 
was  sentenced  to  lose  his  title  and  to  serve  seven 
years  as  interpreter  to  his  Excellency." 

"  Well,  the  sentence  hath  not  cut  the  cock's 
comb.  He  carries  his  head  as  haughtily  as  ever. 
You  must  know  he  sets  up  for  a  lady-killer  and  a 
squire  of  dames.  Now  it  seems  that  he  hath  cast 
sheep's-eyes  at  the  unwed  maid,  Elizabeth  Devon, 
since  ever  the  ship  *  Susan  '  came  in." 

I  dropped  the  sack  of  grain  which  I  was  engaged 
in  hoisting  to  the  wharf  from  the  hold  of  the  "  Red 
Fox,"  and  drew 'nearer  to  the  speaker. 

"  Now,"  he  continued,  "  when  the  negars  were 
sold  thus  at  outcry,  the  captain  purchased,  for  ten 
pound,  a  lively  boy  of  some  twelve  summers  old, 
and  sent  him  as  a  gift  to  the  fair  lady,  with  a  note 
pinned  to  the  front  of  his  garments.  The  letter 
103 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

stated  that  the  black  boy's  name  was  Cupid,  and 
the  sender  prayed  that  she  would  accept  the  gift 
of  him  as  a  slave,  and  of  himself,  Henry  Spelman, 
as  a  husband." 

"Insolent!"  cried  I,  tho'  I  had  been  fully  re 
solved  to  hold  my  tongue.  "  And  she  ?  What  said 
she?" 

"  Why,  there  riseth  the  cream  o'  the  jest.  She 
straightway  despatched  the  boy  back  to  the  sender 
with  another  note  pinned  to  his  back,  wherein  she 
said  that  when  she  should  wed,  she  should  expect 
her  husband  to  be  her  slave,  and  therefore  should 
need  none  other ;  but  that,  as  she  had  no  inten 
tion  of  marrying  at  present,  she  counselled  Cap 
tain  Spelman  to  bestow  himself  and  his  negar 
elsewhere." 

"  Good  !     Good  !  "  cried  the  loungers  in  chorus. 

"  Ay,  good  it  was,"  continued  the  first  speaker, 
quickened  to  greater  liveliness  by  the  success  of 
his  story.  "  You  should  have  seen  Spelman,  when 
he  did  receive  the  note.  He  was  e'en  raging,  and 
such  a  fool  as  to  read  it  out  to  the  crowd  of  us,  so 
that,  the  news  spreading,  he  is  become  the  sport  of 
James  City." 

"  I  like  the  girl's  spirit,"  quoth  Pory.  "  I  would 
rather  have  her  than  forty  tame  Griseldas  that 
come  at  the  first  man's  whistle.  How  say  you, 
104 


Cupid. 

Huntoon,  shall  we  try  our  luck  as  rivals  to  the 
captain  and  his  negar  ?  " 

My  heart  grew  hot  within  me  as  I  listened  to 
this  light  talk  concerning  Elizabeth  Romney. 

"For  Heaven's  sake,  Pory,"  said  I,  "leave  off 
thy  buffoonery !  —  and,  for  the  rest  of  you,  either 
make  way  there  or  lend  a  hand ;  for  this  grain 
must  be  stored  inside  the  palisades  before  night." 

Pory  looked  at  me  for  an  instant  in  dumb  sur 
prise,  and  then,  with  a  grunt  hard  to  interpret, 
shouldered  his  sack  and  took  up  the  line  of  march 
for  the  gate.  The  others  followed,  and  the  grain 
was  soon  safely  stowed  away  in  the  magazine. 

The  next  morning  I  was  honored  by  a  command 
to  wait  upon  Governor  Yerely.  I  dressed  myself 
with  extra  care,  but  with  a  painful  sense  of  the 
shortcomings  of  my  wardrobe  for  such  an  occasion. 

I  longed  only  for  the  old  days  at  Oxford  when 
a  scholar's  gown  covered  all  deficiencies,  and  the 
fashion  of  the  cap  changed  not,  as  doth  the  habit 
of  the  court,  like  a  weather-cock,  when  the  king 
doth  blow  on  it. 

I  wondered  much,  as  I  walked  along,  that  the 
governor  should  have  sent  for  me,  whose  name,  I 
thought,  he  could  scarce  have  heard.  "  But,"  said 
I  to  myself,  "  't  is  a  great  thing  to  be  nobody ;  and 
never  to  be  heard  of,  is  to  be  heard  no  ill  of." 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

When  I  was  shown  into  the  governor's  room,  I 
found  him  seated  in  a  chair  of  oak  before  a  long, 
cross-legged  table,  strewn  with  documents  and 
State-papers. 

He  received  me  right  graciously;  yet  his  first 
words  much  amazed  and  disconcerted  me. 

"  Master  Huntoon,  thy  dress  is  over-plain.  I 
like  not  thy  coat,  —  't  is  too  bare  !  " 

I  knew  not  where  to  look,  so  vexed  was  I,  and 
withal  so  vexed  with  myself  for  being  vexed. 

"  'T  is  passing  plain,  my  lord,  but  yet  as  rich  as 
beseemeth  a  poor  scholar  and  soldier  of  fortune. 
Were  I  the  Head  of  a  Hundred,  I  might  go  bravely 
tricked  out  with  gold  lace ;  but  't  were  ill  fitting 
that  one  who  hath  no  gold  in  his  purse,  should 
wear  it  on  his  person." 

"  Thou  art  right,  young  man.  It  were,  as  thou 
sayest,  most  ill  done,  unfit,  and  unbecoming,  and 
like  to  win  thee  a  lodging  in  ye  Guard  House. 
Yet  have  I  a  fancy  for  seeing  thee  thus  decked, 
and  so  there  's  no  way  out  of  it  but  that  thou 
shouldst  be  made  Head  of  a  Hundred." 

My  looks  so  spake  the  bewilderment  of  my 
mind  that  the  governor  took  pity  on  me  and 
explained. 

"  My  secretary,  Master  Pory,  hath  so  set  forth 
thy  talents  and  acquirements,  and  in  particular  thy 
1 06 


Cupid. 

services  on  this  expedition  to  Accomac,  wherein 
he  says  thy  coolness  and  prudence  did  equal  thy 
courage  and  contrivance,  that  he  hath  persuaded 
me  to  place  thee  in  charge  of  Flower  Da  Hundred, 
a  colony  further  up  the  river,  which  hath  lately 
lost  its  commander  through  an  illness  which  com 
pelled  him  to  seek  medical  treatment. 

"  Now,  thou  wilt  have  no  such  excuse  for  quit 
ting  thy  post,  else  wilt  thou  stand  confessed  no 
physician  ;  argal  a  fraud ;  argal  to  be  hanged." 

"  Your  Excellency,"  I  stammered,  "  you  do  be 
wilder  me  with  this  kindness,  which  I  have  had  so 
little  opportunity  to  deserve.  If  Master  Pory  hath 
represented  that  I  have  done  anything  out  of  the 
ordinary  there  in  Accomac,  he  hath  exaggerated 
trifles  out  of  all  semblance  to  truth  in  the  cause 
of  friendship,  and  I  would  not  be  beholden  to  such 
misprision  for  so  great  and  sudden  advancement." 

"  Tush,  tush,  man  !  I  have  eyes  in  my  head,  and 
ears  as  well,  and  a  discernment  to  match.  Do  not 
set  thyself  up  to  be  a  better  judge  than  I  as  to 
whom  I  shall  appoint  to  office!  Only  see  to  it 
that  thou  do  thy  work  well,  else  shall  I  have 
spoiled  a  good  doctor  to  make  a  poor  commander ; 
and  in  sooth,  had  we  not  tidings  of  another  physi 
cian  on  his  way  hither,  I  would  not  let  thee  go,  for 
I  hear  thy  skill  well  spoke  of — " 
107 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  Thanks,  my  lord  !  but  —  " 

"  Butt  not  against  thy  good  fortune,  unless  in 
deed  thou  likest  too  well  to  loaf  about  the  tavern 
here  at  James  City,  and  art  slow  to  betake  thyself 
to  pioneer  life  in  a  distant  settlement." 

"Your  Excellency,"  cried  I,  eagerly,  "for  noth 
ing  do  I  thank  thee  more  than  for  this  chance  to 
get  away  from  James  City.  'T  is  —  't  is  too  near 
the  sea  ;  and  I  fear  rheumatism  from  the  dampness 
of  the  air." 

Sir  George  Yerely's  keen  eyes  were  fixed  on  mine 
as  I  spake,  and  I  felt  them  pierce  to  the  core  of 
my  device. 

"  The  reason  thou  hast  given  is  false,"  said  he 
slowly,  "  and  't  is  the  foolisher  that  thou  wert  not 
called  to  give  any.  Ay!  I  am  glad  to  see  thee 
redden.  Now,  thy  friend  Pory  will  look  me  in  the 
face  innocent  as  a  babe,  and  invent  the  most  enor 
mous  fabrications  ;  but  thou  art  young  at  the  busi 
ness,  and,  trust  me,  't  is  a  practice  that  ill  suits  a 
gentleman." 

"  Good  my  lord,  I  do  acknowledge  the  justice 
of  the  reproach  and  if  you  do  insist,  I  will  tell  you 
the  true  reason,  though  it  is  in  its  nature  most  pri 
vate,  and  touching  mine  own  heart  alone." 

"  Nay,  nay,  it  is  not  for  me  to  meddle  with  a 
lad's  quarrels  or  perhaps  a  lad's  love  affairs.  Do 
1 08 


Cupid. 

but  serve  the  State  faithfully  and  well,  and  thou 
wilt  have  earned  thy  gold  lace  honestly,  and  mayst 
hide  what  private  sentiments  thou  wilt  under  the 
breast  of  thine  official  coat.  The  settlement  yonder 
at  Flower  Da  Hundred  groweth  unruly  without  a 
head.  How  soon  canst  thou  be  gone?" 

"  To-night,  my  lord." 

"  Good  !  I  like  promptness.  But  thy  parting 
from  us  need  not  be  so  abrupt  as  that.  If  thou 
art  in  readiness,  in  three  days  time  't  will  serve." 

"  In  three  days  let  it  be,  then,  and  I  will  strive 
diligently  that  I  may  not  fail  the  trust  reposed  in 
me." 

"  If  thou  indeed  strive  diligently,  thou  wilt  not 
fail." 

With  this  he  gave  me  permission  to  withdraw, 
and  bowing  low,  I  went  out.  In  the  hall-way  I 
was  overtaken  by  Pory. 

"  Hello  !  "  he  cried. 

"  Ah  !  Jack,"  said  I,  "  what  hast  thou  been 
doing?" 

"  Doing  ?  I  ?  Why,  nothing  save  cooking  larks 
to  drop  into  the  cap  of  a  good-for-nothing,  who 
does  n't  know  enough  to  hold  them  when  they  are 
in.  Oh  !  I  heard  it  all  from  my  desk  behind  the 
door.  A  fine  character  you  and  the  governor  gave 
me  between  you  !  " 

109 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  How  can  I  thank  you  for  this  advancement 
which  I  owe  to  your  influence!  " 

"Oh,  so  you've  discovered  that  I  have  an  in 
fluence  ;  for  all  it  struck  you  as  so  fine  a  jest  a  fort 
night  ago !  " 

"Behold  me,  Master  Pory,  prostrate  at  your 
feet  in  self-abasement!  You  have  taken  a  most 
generous  revenge." 

"  I  am  more  beholden  to  you  for  the  compliment 
than  you  need  be  to  me  for  the  office.  A  compli 
ment  is  an  accomplished  fact,  whereas  an  office  is 
but  an  opportunity  for  work,  which  my  stomach 
never  relished  over-much.  But  now  must  I  get  me 
back  to  mine,  for  the  *  God-Speed  '  sails  to-day, 
bearing  despatches  which  I  must  savor  and  sweeten 
ere  they  are  closed  with  the  governor's  seal.  Fare 
well  till  afternoon,  when  we  will  talk  further  of  the 
future." 

With  this  he  vanished  like  the  very  Jack-in-the- 
Box  he  was,  and  I  took  up  my  way  to  my  lodgings. 
Yet  being  there,  I  could  find  no  rest,  neither 
absorb  myself  in  reading  nor  in  writing,  for  that 
my  soul  was  in  so  great  a  tumult.  Joy  and  sorrow, 
success  and  failure,  hope  and  despondency  battled 
it  together  in  my  breast. 

At  length,  after  an  hour  or  two,  worn  out  with 
the  conflict,  I  picked  up  my  hat  and  sallied  forth 
no 


Cupid. 

to  try  what  distraction  I  could  find  out  of  doors.  I 
had  gone  but  a  few  rods  ere  I  saw  Pory  and  Henry 
Spelman  standing  in  the  centre  of  a  group  of  men 
who  were  discussing  the  arrival  of  the  Dutch  ship, 
and  the  effect  on  the  colony,  of  the  coming  of  the 
blacks,  which,  Pory  said,  he  feared  would  do  away, 
in  time,  with  the  indented  servants,  who  were  a  great 
blessing  to  the  settlement. 

From  that  beginning,  the  talk  was  tossed  about 
like  a  ball  in  the  tennis  court,  till  Tom  Pierce,  the 
gallant  whom  we  had  encountered  on  the  wharf 
the  day  before,  began  a  jesting  attack  on  Spelman 
anent  the  ill-fate  of  his  purchase  in  human  live 
stock. 

Both  men  were  somewhat  the  worse  for  liquor, 
and  Spelman  chafed  beneath  the  jibes,  tho'  he  strove 
to  cloak  his  vexation  under  a  tone  of  bravado. 

"  Look  ! "  cried  one  who  till  now  had  borne  no 
part  in  the  talk.  "  If  I  be  not  mistaken,  the 
haughty  maid  herself  is  walking  this  way  on  t'other 
side  of  the  street." 

I  turned  at  his  word,  and  saw,  advancing  toward 
us,  a  damsel,  clad  in  a  robe  of  rough  brown  serge 
with  long  pointed  sleeves  falling  over  closer  ones  of 
white.  Her  veil,  which  was  also  white,  reached  to 
the  hem  of  her  skirt,  completely  hiding  her  face 
from  view. 

in 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

But  it  was  as  idle  for  Elizabeth  Romney  to  go 
forth  thus  and  fancy  herself  disguised,  as  for  the 
ostrich  to  hide  his  head  in  the  sand  and  think  to 
escape  notice.  Her  slender  foot,  her  lithe,  light 
figure,  the  carriage  of  her  head,  the  very  air  with 
which  she  set  one  foot  before  the  other,  proclaimed 
her  birth  and  breeding. 

"  Speak  to  her,  Spelman ! "  cried  Pierce,  the 
tormentor.  "  Mayhap  she  will  pay  more  heed  to 
thy  speech  than  to  thy  letter." 

"  Thou  durst  not,"  said  I,  sternly. 

"  Who  says  *  durst  not '  to  a  soldier  ?  "  cried  the 
captain.  "  Ye  shall  see  if  I  fear  man  or  woman 
either." 

Ere  any  could  stop  him,  he  had  lurched  across 
the  street  and  blocked  the  lady's  path. 

"  We  were  speaking  of  thee  but  now  in  council, 
and  we  have  decided  that  thy  mien  is  too  lofty  for 
one  come  three  thousand  miles  to  find  a  husband. 
I  am  therefore  commissioned  to  pray  thee  —  " 

Before  he  could  get  further,  she  whom  he  ad 
dressed,  drawing  aside  her  skirts  as  from  some 
noxious  animal,  sought  to  pass  in  disdainful  silence. 
At  this  rebuff  the  watchers  on  the  other  side  the 
road  began  to  snicker;  whereon  the  captain  was 
so  incensed  that  he  quite  forgot  his  manners, 
and  strove  forcibly  to  pull  aside,  or  at  least  to 

112 


Cupid. 

peep  under  the  veil  which  the  lady  held  firmly 
down. 

I  would  not  have  stood  by  to  see  this  done  to 
a  barmaid,  and  for  Elizabeth  Romney  —  I  strode 
across  the  street  and  taking  him,  like  a  puppy,  by 
the  nape  of  the  neck,  I  flung  him  into  the  mud. 
Perchance  my  handling  was  ruder  than  I  knew, 
for  I  perceived  that  he  did  not  rise  again.  But  I 
counted  it  more  the  effect  of  his  drink  than  of  my 
force,  for  a  man  in  liquor  is  like  a  ship  with  a 
shifting  ballast,  and  careeneth  with  a  light  blow. 

I  walked  on  by  Mistress  Romney's  side  for  the 
few  paces  that  lay  betwixt  us  and  Dame  Gary's 
door. 

"  Wilt  thou  not  come  in  ?  "  she  asked  in  a  voice 
withheld  with  difficulty  from  tremulousness. 

"  Nay,  mistress,  not  till  nightfall,  when  I  will, 
with  thy  permission,  attend  upon  thine  arm,  and 
shall  hope  for  good  accounts  of  its  advance  toward 
recovery." 

With  this  I  left  her  and  returned  to  the  spot 
where  Spelman  had  fallen,  and  where  he  still  lay 
sprawling  on  his  back,  like  a  turtle  that  hath  been 
upset.  The  loungers  around  him  looked  some 
what  affrighted  lest  he  should  never  come  to  him 
self.  But  I  knew  better,  and  pulling  a  bottle  of 
sal  ammoniac  from  the  pocket  of  my  jerkin,  I  held 
8  113 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

it  to  his  nose,  till  it  did  speedily  prick  him  back  to 

life. 

Unfortunately  for  me,  his  choler  awoke  at  the 

same  moment  with  his  consciousness,  and  as  he 

rose  and  brushed  the  mud  from  his  hosen,  he  cast 

on  me  a  look  of  malignity. 

«  I  regret  —  "  I  began;  but  he  brake  in  rudely: 
"  Regret  me  no  regrets  !     You  shall  hear  from 

me,  and  that  right  soon,  I  promise  you."     And  he 

walked  off  still  scowling;. 

^ 

"  You  have  a  promising  quarrel  on  your  hands," 
said  Dick  Pace,  who  was  come  to  James  City  to 
load  his  shallop  with  grain  to  take  back  with  him 
to  "  Pace's  Paine." 

"  Faith,"  says  Pory,  "  an  I  have  not  forgot  my 
Cambridge  Latin,  'tis  the  first  time  ever  Pace 
stood  for  war.  Nonsense,  man!  When  Captain 
Spelman  (and  I  know  not  why  we  still  give  him 
the  title,  since  the  Council  did  deprive  him  of  it) 
when  Spelman,  I  say,  hath  slept  off  his  liquor,  he 
will  know  full  well  that  he  got  no  more  than  his 
deserts  when  he  offered  insolency  to  a  woman  in 
the  presence  of  Englishmen.  Say  no  more  of  the 
matter,  lest  it  come  to  the  ears  of  the  governor  and 
kindle  such  a  fire  as  none  of  you  shall  be  able  to 
quench. 

"  By  the  way,  good  Doctor,  I  have  a  felon  on  my 
114 


Cupid. 

finger,  about  which  I  would  fain  consult  thee,  if 
these  gentlemen  will  pardon  our  withdrawal." 

With  this  he  drew  my  arm  thro'  his  own  and 
marched  off  very  dignified,  to  his  lodgings.  Before 
we  reached  there  I  had  as  completely  forgotten  my 
quarrel  as  he  his  felon,  which  to  say  truth  was 
more  in  his  fancy  than  on  his  finger. 

When  we  were  come  into  his  house  and  the  door 
was  shut,  he  threw  his  arms  about  me  and  kissed 
me  on  both  cheeks  in  the  good  old  English 
fashion,  now  almost  gone  out  —  more  's  the  pity. 

"  So  thou  art  to  be  Head  of  a  Hundred  ! "  he 
cried.  "  Well,  see  to  it  that  thou  forget  not  thine 
old  friend,  as  Pharaoh's  butler  (or  was  it  his 
baker  ? )  forgot  Joseph  in  the  days  of  his  prosperity. 
Sooth  to  say,  youngster,  I  have  come  to  love 
thee  well  and  't  is  more  of  a  trial  than  I  thought 
for  to  let  thee  go,  tho'  it  is  but  beyond  the  bend  o' 
the  river !  " 

"  And  I  am  as  loath  to  be  leaving  thee.  Say  no 
more,  I  pray  thee,  lest  thou  unman  me  quite  and  I 
shed  tears  like  a  homesick  schoolboy." 

"Then  drown  thy  tears  in  a  cup  of  sack  with 
me,"  quoth  he,  filling  two  generous  wooden  nog 
gins.  "I  drink  the  health  of  Humphrey  Huntoon, 
Head  of  a  Hundred  !  " 

"5 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

PARTING. 

TT  was  with  a  heavy  heart  that  I  drew  near  the 
•*•  door  of  Miles  Gary's  cottage  this  night.  Now 
that  all  was  settled  I  began  to  wish  it  unsettled 
again,  and  to  regret  that  I  had  been  so  quick  to 
accept  the  governor's  offer. 

But  I  reproached  myself  for  this  weakness  and 
I  said  to  that  coward,  my  heart,  "  Thou  art  a  fickle 
and  treacherous  counsellor,  that  sayest  one  thing  in 
the  morning  and  another  at  night.  The  question 
is  settled.  This  maid  and  I  must  part.  The  when 
and  the  how  can  matter  little." 

Outside  the  window  I  stopped,  for  I  saw  a 
slender  figure  flitting  to  and  fro,  and  I  caught  a 
snatch  of  an  old  song  that  I  had  whistled  many 
a  time  and  oft  along  the  cliffs  of  Devon,  with  the 
gulls  circling  overhead,  and  the  breakers  thun 
dering  under  my  feet:  — 
116 


Parting. 

By  my  true  love's  bower,  a  rose, 

Fresh  and  fair  and  fragrant  grows. 

On  its  briar,  my  hand  I  've  torn ; 

I  've  missed  the  rose  and  pulled  the  thorn. 

Heigh-ho, 

Joy  and  wo  ! 

Betty  Romney's  voice  was  a  part  of  herself,  not 
soft  and  sentimental,  but  clear  and  triumphant, 
tho'  she  sang  of  grief  and  thorns.  With  my  hand 
on  the  latch,  I  stood  still  to  try  if  she  would  go  on 
again,  and  when  she  did,  I  leaned  back  against 
the  wall  listening  as  I  have  listened  for  the  rare 
note  of  the  piping  bullfinch  in  the  forest :  — 

Love  is  even  such  a  flower, 
Fresh  and  fragrant  for  an  hour, 
Yet,  lest  my  poor  heart  be  torn, 
I  '11  have  neither  rose  nor  thorn. 

Heigh-ho, 

Joy  and  wo  ! 

"  *  Heigh-ho,  joy  and  wo  ! '"  I  said,  entering.  "  It 
is  a  song  as  old  as  life,  ay,  mistress  Betty  ?  " 

"  So  thou  art  come !  "  cried  my  lady,  throwing 
down  on  the  table  the  flowers  she  was  sorting  for 
a  nosegay  to  garnish  the  simple  evening  meal. 

"Thou  art  welcome.  But  where  is  the  bear 
skin  thou  didst  promise  to  bring  for  the  back  of 
my  chair  ?  " 

"  Faith,"  said  I,  "  I  thought  myself  but  too 
117 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

lucky  to  get  off  with  mine  own  skin  to  give  heed 
to  a  bear's,  or  to  my  idle  promise." 

"  Oh,  ay!  'Tis  ever  thus  with  men.  They  will 
swear  you  mighty  oaths,  but  in  their  fulfilment 
are  they  wondrous  modified." 

"  I  hear,"  quoth  I,  stung  by  the  wasp  of  her 
woman's  wit,  "  that  thou  hast  not  lacked  either  for 
vows  or  offerings  in  mine  absence." 

Her  eyes  blazed  up  with  a  light,  half  anger,  half 
laughter. 

"  I  have  indeed  met  with  two  offerings,  and  of 
scarce  commodities,  —  a  heathen  and  a  heart.  Oh, 
Humphrey  !  Thou  hadst  died  of  laughing,  couldst 
thou  have  seen  that  poor  little  negar  thing,  with 
the  hair  on  his  head  all  kinky,  like  the  wool  on  old 
Michael's  black  sheep,  and  his  short  white  suit 
against  the  blackness  of  his  legs  and  arms,  and 
then  the  note  pinned  to  his  breast,  —  a  note  as  full 
of  fancy  flourishes  as  a  Frenchman's  dancing. 
Troth,  it  made  me  laugh  for  the  first  time  since 
ever  I  came  to  this  dismal  land  ! " 

"  No  doubt,"  answered  I,  stiff  as  the  ramrod  of 
my  match-lock  musket.  "  No  doubt  it  was  mon 
strous  funny  for  the  daughter  of  Sir  William  Rom- 
ney  to  receive  notes  and  gifts  from  a  roystering 
gallant !  And  no  doubt  it  was  vastly  amusing  for 
me  to  hear  men  jesting  about  her  on  the  wharf 
118 


Parting. 

yestere'en,  and  yet  again  to  see  her  veil  twitched 
in  James  City  street  this  morning ! " 

I  know  not  how  it  chanced  that  I  was  drawn  on 
to  speak  thus  in  childish  anger.  I  took  shame  to 
myself  ere  the  words  were  uttered ;  and  still  more 
when  Mistress  Betty  answered  with  quiet  dignity. 

"  Sir  William  Romney's  daughter,"  quoth  she, 
speaking  low  and  yet  very  proud,  "  hath  no  need 
of  any  help  save  from  her  own  dignity  and  virtue 
to  protect  her  from  insult." 

"  Bravely  spoken  !  "  cried  I,  filled  with  admira 
tion  for  her  high  spirit,  "yet  it  is  none  the  less 
false.  Let  me  speak  freely  with  thee  for  once  if 
never  more.  Thine  arm  is  almost  healed  and  can 
go  in  a  sling  for  another  se'n-night,  and  after  that 
I  trust 't  will  serve  thee  as  well  as  its  fellow.  It  is 
no  longer  as  thy  physician  that  I  speak,  but  as  thy 
friend,  almost  thy  brother.  And  I  beg —  I  entreat 
of  thee,  to  go  home  !  " 

She  made  a  motion  as  though  she  would  stop 
my  speech,  but  I  was  resolved  to  be  heard. 

"  This  James  City  is  as  evil  a  place  as  the  round 
world  can  show  for  a  young,  unprotected  maid  like 
thee.  'T  is  filled  with  gallants,  and  soldiers  of 
fortune,  yea,  and  even  with  jail-birds  and  the  off- 
scouring  of  London  slums.  Canst  thou  bide  here, 
and  alone  ?  " 

119 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  I  am  not  alone,"  she  answered.  "  Kate  Gary 
was  my  cousin's  tiring  woman  for  seven  years,  and 
she  hath  never  yet  flinched  in  faith  and  loyalty  to 
me.  Besides,"  —  and  here  she  sparkled  forth  the 
intoxication  of  her  smile,  —  "  have  I  no  right  to 
count  something  on  mine  old  friend,  or  him  who 
at  least  was  wont  to  call  himself  such  —  Humphrey 
Huntoon  ?  " 

The  words  of  simple  trust  pierced  my  soul  and 
made  me  feel  as  if  I  were  but  a  base  deserter  from 
a  post  of  honor.  Love  swelled  in  my  heart,  but  I 
saw  quite  clearly  that  it  was  friendship  alone  that 
filled  her  mind. 

"  The  man  thou  hast  once  called  friend,"  said  I, 
"must  needs  carry  his  head  higher  ever  after. 
Count  upon  me,  indeed,  and  be  sure  I  can  have  no 
nearer  duty,  and  no  dearer  pleasure  than  to  give 
my  life,  if  need  be,  in  thy  service  !  But  at  the 
present  moment  I  am  no  longer  mine  own  master. 
Governor  Yerely  hath  appointed  me  Head  of  Flower 
Da  Hundred.  Thither  for  a  time  I  must  betake 
me,  and  I  should  be  loth  to  think  of  thee  when  I 
was  thus  far  away,  subject  to  such  insult  as  thou 
didst  meet  this  day,  close  by  thine  own  door." 

I  said  all  this  hurriedly,  and  with  eyes  cast 
down  like  one  abashed,  for  I  feared  that  she  to 
whom  I  spoke  looked  scornfully  on  me  as  a  pol- 
120 


Parting. 

troon  and  a  deserter,  or  worse  still,  that  she  was 
thinking  sorrowfully  on  the  solitariness  of  her  posi 
tion  here  when  I  was  gone,  with  none  to  turn  to 
for  aid  or  counsel. 

My  thoughts  showed  how  little  I  understood  the 
nature  of  Elizabeth  Romney. 

When  I  looked  up  I  found  her  gazing  steadfastly 
at  me.  Her  face  was  quite  white,  but  a  wonderful 
pride  and  gladness  shone  in  her  eyes. 

"  I  might  have  known  it,  Humphrey  !  "  she  cried. 
"  They  have  found  thee  out,  as  they  were  sure  to 
do  —  only  't  is  come  sooner  than  I  thought.  Thou 
wilt  be  a  great  man.  When  thou  art  come,  as 
may  happen  some  day,  to  the  dignity  of  governor 
of  the  colony,  remember,  I  pray,  that  thou  didst 
first  practice  governing  on  little  Betty  Romney  by 
the  brook  that  runs  past  Cumnor  Hall." 

"  Heaven  send  me  few  such  rebellious  subjects  !  " 
said  I,  jesting,  with  a  lump  in  my  throat. 

"When  subjects  rebel  'tis  oftenest  the  fault  of 
the  tyrant  who  governs,"  quoth  she,  still  striving 
to  be  merry,  tho'  the  big  tears  stood  in  her  eyes. 

"  I  would  I  could  play  the  tyrant  over  Fate  for 
thy  happiness,"  I  answered,  and  then  I  said : 
"  Couldst  thou  not,  now  we  are  so  near  parting, 
trust  me  with  the  secret  of  thine  exile  ?  Perhaps 
some  help  may  be  found  even  in  my  poor  counsel." 

121 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  Alas  !  it  is  a  matter  past  all  help  of  counsel,'* 
she  sighed,  "and  even  the  Head  of  a  Hundred 
would  be  powerless  therein;  yet  now  thou  askest 
in  the  way  of  kindness  and  not  in  anger,  as  on 
that  first  night,  I  will  tell  thee  all,  and  welcome 
the  chance." 

"  Thou  hast  misprised  my  interest  in  thee,  Mis 
tress  Betty,  since  ever  we  did  meet  on  these  shores  ; 
but  let  that  pass  and  go  on  with  thy  story !  Thou 
didst  quarrel  with  thy  father  past  all  hope  of  recon. 
cilement,  —  is  it  not  so  ?  " 

"Ah,  'tis  but  too  true,  and  it  would  seem  that 
the  fault  must  be  mine,  yet  in  looking  back,  I  can 
not  think  it  so." 

"  Perchance  your  father  asked  that  of  you  which 
neither  he  nor  any  man  had  the  right  to  demand." 

"  Ah !  how  you  help  me.  But  how  could  you 
know  ?  " 

"Shall  1  tell  thee?  Well,  then,  a  little  bird 
from  Oxford,  one  of  those  perhaps,  that  build 
their  nests  in  the  ivy  that  grows  round  the  grey 
walls  of  old  Balliol,  whispered  in  mine  ear  that 
thy  father  sought  an  alliance  with  the  House  of 
Chetwynd." 

"  An  alliance  !  "  cried  the  girl,  with  a  fine  scorn. 
"  Yea,  it  was  just  that.  It  made  no  difference 
whether  I  loved  or  loathed.  No  matter  whether 

122 


Parting. 

the  man  I  was  to  wed  cared  a  brass  farthing  for 
me,  —  it  was  an  alliance !  I  would  none  of  the 
scheme,  and  so  I  told  both  the  earl  and  my 
father." 

"  Well,  and  was  that  not  enow  for  them  both  ?  " 

"  Nay,  in  sooth ;  but  the  more  I  refused,  the 
more  resolved  were  they.  At  last  my  father 
threatened  that  if  I  yielded  not,  he  would  send  me 
to  a  convent  in  France." 

"  Pooh !  't  was  but  a  bogie  to  fright  thee.  He 
dared  not." 

"  Perhaps  —  I  know  not  how  far  he  would  have 
gone.  But  I  had  seen  more  than  once  the  cowled 
figure  of  a  Jesuit  priest,  flitting  like  a  bat  about 
the  corners  of  the  hall  after  dark.  And  once, 
wakened  at  midnight  by  the  sound  of  a  tinkling 
bell,  and  creeping  from  my  chamber  to  the  gallery, 
I  saw,  in  the  hall  below,  my  father  kneeling  at 
midnight  mass  and  before  him  this  same  priest, 
who  passed  abroad  for  a  parson  of  the  New 
Church.  I  feared  him  and  I  feared  my  father, 
and  I  believed,  as  for  the  matter  o'  that  I  do  still 
believe,  that  between  them,  they  would  carry  out 
their  threat." 

"  Poor  child !  thou  wert  indeed  but  a  silly  dove 
in  the  nest  of  hawks.  Whither  couldst  thou  look 
for  deliverance  ? " 

123 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  In  truth,  I  know  not  how  all  would  have 
ended,  but  just  then  my  uncle,  with  his  wife  and 
daughter  were  come  on  a  visit  to  the  hall.  My 
cousin,  who  was  ever  my  dearest  friend,  caught  me 
one  day  weeping  in  my  chamber,  and  would  give 
me  no  rest  till  she  had  learned  the  secret,  which 
indeed  my  father's  anger  had  made  little  secret  to 
those  around  us. 

"'Besse,'  quoth  she,  'hast  thou  courage  to 
carry  out  a  plot  if  I  do  plan  it  for  thee?' 

"  I  answered  her  that  I  had  courage  for  anything 
but  this  hateful  marriage,  though  in  truth  my  heart 
sank  weakly  at  the  prospect  of  barred  windows  and 
convent  walls. 

"  '  Weep  not,  pretty  coz ! '  she  said.  '  Thou 
shalt  not  be  dragged  either  to  the  altar  or  to  the 
convent  cell.  Beshrew  me  if  the  wits  of  two  maids 
be  not  a  match  for  all  the  men  in  Christendom !  ' 

"Having  cheered  me  with  her  heartening  talk, 
she  left  me  and  I  thought  she  would  forget ;  but 
after  a  few  days  she  sought  me  in  my  closet  and 
then  she  laid  bare  the  scheme  she  had  worked  out. 
Oh,  Humphrey !  1  wish  you  could  have  known 
Barbara  well.  She  is  so  clever  and  so  stanch 
and  true,  even  if  sometimes  a  bit  headstrong." 

"  I  can  easily  credit  it,"  quoth  I  ;  "  these  things 
do  oft  run  in  families." 

124 


Parting. 

Mistress  Betty  made  a  charming  little  mouth  at 
me.  "Your  compliments,"  says  she,  "are  like 
chameleons  which  change  color  according  to  the 
light  that  falls  on  them." 

"Well,  well,  never  mind  my  compliments,  but 
tell  me  of  your  cousin's  scheme  !  " 

"  Ay,  give  me  but  time,  and  I  will. 

"  Her  tiring  woman  had  engaged  passage  for 
America  on  a  ship  with  a  company  of  maids  who 
were  coming  out  on  the  strange  errand  of  making 
wives  for  the  planters,  but  with  the  express  under 
standing  that  none  need  wed  save  at  her  own  free 
will. 

"  It  was  my  cousin's  plan  that  I  should  go  out 
with  this  Kate  Brandon,  and  to  make  the  surer  of 
not  being  forced  into  any  marriage,  after  having 
fled  so  far  to  avoid  the  calamity,  my  passage  was 
to  be  paid  aforetime.  So  far  the  plan  did  not  at 
all  appal  me,  for  the  prospect  appeared  then  far 
less  formidable  to  my  ignorance  than  would  it  now 
to  mine  experience. 

"  *  But  prythee,  good  cousin,'  said  I,  '  how  am  I 
to  make  my  escape  from  Romney  and  find  my 
way  to  this  outward-bound  ship  ? ' 

" '  All  that  have  I  arranged,'  she  replied,  « and 
't  is  by  far  the  cleverest  part  of  the  plot ;  for  it  will 
be  fooling  the  fox  with  his  own  brush.  This  morn 
125 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

I  was  tempted  for  old  time's  sake,  to  peep  into  the 
little  cupboard  under  the  tower  stairs,  where  we 
were  wont  to  play  at  hide  and  seek  as  children ; 
and  there  what  think  ye  I  should  find  but  a  priest's 
robe  and  cowl  rolled  up  in  a  cobwebby  corner  !  "  I 
have  it!"  I  thought,  when  mine  eyes  fell  on  it; 
''  't  is  the  very  disguise  for  Besse."  This  shalt  thou 
put  on  and  be  off  this  very  night ;  for  I  have  made 
sure  that  he  who  passes  for  our  pious  Church  of 
England  clergyman  is  gone  to  London  for  a  week. 
There  is  no  moon  to-night,  but  that  is  all  the  better 
for  our  scheme.  Thou  art  to  slip  out  the  little  side 
door  by  the  eastern  tower,  then  through  the  ivied 
gate  at  nine  o'  the  clock,  and  at  the  turn  of  the  road 
thou  shalt  find  one  waiting  to  guide  thee  to  the 
lodging  of  Kate  Brandon,  where  thou  shalt  lie  as 
safe  hid  as  a  mouse  in  a  hay-stack  till  the  sailing 
of  the  ship !  " 

"  Faith  !  "  cried  I,  "  thou  saidst  but  the  truth 
when  thou  didst  call  this  cousin  of  thine  a  clever 
maid.  What  answer  didst  thou  make  to  her  plan  ?  " 

"  Why,  truth  to  tell,  I  knew  not  what  to  say. 
My  mind  rolled  now  this  way,  now  that,  like  a  ship 
at  sea,  but  chiefly  it  turned  to  the  thought  of  my 
father  and  his  anger.  *  He  will  never  let  me  slip 
away  in  so  quiet  a  fashion,  Bab,'  said  I;  'thou 
knowest  his  temper  too  well  to  expect  that/ 
126 


Parting. 

"  *  Trust  that  to  me,'  says  my  cousin,  whose  spirit 
is  as  high  as  my  father's.  e  Thou  art  to  leave  on 
my  cushion  a  note  in  which  thou  art  to  say  that, 
being  unable  to  bear  this  life  longer,  thou  art  gone 
to  make  thy  home  with  a  friend  ;  that  thou  art  re 
solved  to  return  no  more,  but  to  be  as  one  dead  to 
that  father  who  would  so  readily  give  thee  up  to 
the  death  of  a  convent,  or  the  worse  than  death  of 
a  hated  marriage  ! ' 

"  My  wit  was  less  nimble  than  my  cousin's,  and  I 
was  fain  to  write  down  the  words  after  her.  But  when 
I  was  done,  I  said,  *  Of  what  good  will  this  be  ? ' 

" '  That  wilt  thou  not  be  here  to  see,  but  I  will 
play  the  gypsy  and  foretell  unto  thee  how  matters 
will  fall  out.  I  shall  carry  thy  note  to  mine  uncle, 
and  then  I  shall  draw  a  long  face  and  say  that  one 
of  the  maids  reported  seeing  a  priest  in  the  corri 
dors  near  midnight,  and  that  there  is  already  gos 
siping  in  the  servants'  hall  over  thy  disappearance, 
and  though  I  know  there  can  be  no  truth  in  it,  yet 
I  fear,  if  the  matter  come  to  the  king's  ear,  he  may 
suspect  my  cousin  was  spirited  away  against  her 
will  to  a  convent  and  be  sore  in  anger  against  us 
all.  So  I  shall  counsel  him  to  give  out  that  thou 
art  gone  off  on  a  visit,  and  trust  to  thy  returning 
of  thine  own  free  will  when  thou  art  sick  and  tired 
of  thine  exile  ! ' 

127 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  So  the  matter  fell  out,  even  as  Barbara  had 
planned  it.  We  kissed  and  cried  together  and 
parted,  —  she  bidding  me  write  her  whenever  I 
could,  under  cover  of  Kate  Brandon,  for  that  she 
should  ever  hold  herself  responsible  for  my  good 
or  ill  fortune." 

The  maiden  paused  here  and  sighed  deeply, 
seeming  almost  to  have  forgotten  my  presence ; 
then  she  went  on  :  — 

"I  know  not  if  I  could  have  done  otherwise; 
yet  it  is  ever  a  sore  thought  with  me  to  remember 
how  I  crept  out  from  my  father's  house  like  a  thief 
in  the  night,  and  to  make  the  resemblance  more 
exact,  with  the  jewels  my  mother  had  left  me,  hid 
away  in  my  wallet.  Oh,  how  often  in  the  night  here 
when  the  pine-trees  are  murmuring  sorrowfully 
outside  my  window,  I  have  fancied  my  father  there 
alone  in  the  dark  old  rooms  at  Romney  Hall ;  and 
how  I  have  longed  to  go  to  him  and  beg  him  to 
forgive  me  and  let  things  be  as  they  were  in  the 
old  days  !  But  that  can  never  be  now  —  never  — 
no,  never ! " 

The  girl's  voice,  which  had  been  quite  steady  and 
cheerful  at  the  beginning,  sank  at  the  end  into  a 
passive  melancholy,  which  smote  me  too  with  sorrow. 

"  Trust  me,  Betty,"  said  I  ;  "I  am  not  one  to 
treat  with  lightness  thy  duty  to  thy  father  ;  but  to 
128 


Parting. 

me 't  is  clear  that  thou  couldst  do  no  other  than  thou 
didst.  Let  the  past  be  past,  and  turn  thy  thoughts 
to  the  future  !  Hast  thou  any  plans  ?  " 

"  I  have  a  plan,  and  one  I  would  fain  open  to  thee. 
Thou  hast  heard  how,  when  Sir  Thomas  Dale  was 
here,  they  builded  a  guest-house  for  the  sick  people, 
a  high  seat  and  wholesome  air,  and  called  the 
place,  'Mount  Malado.'  Here  it  still  stands 
and  here  now  abide  two  Sisters  of  Mercy,  besides 
the  widow  of  a  ship's  captain  that  hath  been 
drowned  in  the  Bay.  Hither  I  am  resolved  to 
betake  myself  for  the  present  at  least,  that  I  may 
try  what  help  lies  for  my  sick  heart,  in  ministering 
to  others." 

I  shuddered  to  think  of  her  thus ;  yet  could  I  not 
on  the  moment  devise  a  better  scheme. 

"  But,"  said  I,  "  what  wilt  thou  do,  if  thou  thy 
self  fall  ill,  far  from  all  old  friends  and  among 
strangers  thus  ?  " 

"  I  shall  not  be  among  strangers.  Miles  Gary 
has  taken  out  a  land  patent  covering  a  hundred 
acres  or  more  near  Rock  Hall,  Parson  Whitaker's 
old  house,  fair  framed  and  strongly  impaled.  So  I 
shall  still  be  near  friends,  and  less  in  danger  of  the 
betrayal  of  my  secret  than  if  I  tarried  here  where 
there  are  so  many  ships  coming  in  from  England." 

"  I  think  thou  art  right  and  I  honor  thee  for  a 
9  129 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

brave  woman.     Yet  do  I  grieve  to  see  thy  bravery 
put  to  the  test.     Some  day  —  " 

"  Some  day  ?  " 

"  Nay,  I  will  not  be  guilty  of  speaking  the  weak 
ness  that  was  on  my  tongue.  For  a  time  thou  and 
I  must  part.  Sure,  for  so  short  a  word,  parting  is 
wondrous  hard  to  utter." 

"  When  must  thou  be  gone  ?  " 

"  To-morrow,  perchance  ;  or  at  latest  within  three 
days." 

"  Why,  then,  this  is  good-bye  !  " 

"  Then  do  I  indeed  pray  *  God  be  with  thee  ! '  " 

"  Ah  !  that  puts  me  in  mind  that  I  had  well  nigh 
forgot  to  return  thy  ring,  and  thou  wouldst  be 
thinking  me  a  thief  indeed." 

"  Betty,  if  thou  wouldst  have  me  believe  in  thy 
friendship,  offer  not  to  return  the  ring,  for  while 
thou  wearest  it,  't  will  seem  a  link  binding  me  to 
thee.  I  shall  feel,  moreover,  that  it  is  a  talisman  to 
call  me  to  thy  side  ;  for  should  I  ever  receive  it  by 
the  hand  of  any  messenger,  't  will  need  no  word 
accompanying  it  to  say,  *  Thy  friend  hath  need  of 
thee.'  " 

"  I  would,"  said  she,  "  that  it  were  of  less  value  ; 
yet  will  I  keep  it,  and  thou  in  turn  must  take  some 
thing  of  me,  for  who  knows  but  the  day  may  come 
when  thou  shalt  feel  the  need  of  me  ?  " 
130 


Parting. 

"  The  need  of  thee  —  Oh,  Betty  !  " 

"  Ay,  thou  knowest  the  lion  in  the  fable  owed 
his  life  to  a  mouse." 

While  she  was  speaking  she  drew  the  chain 
from  her  neck,  and  unclasped  her  mother's  picture. 
"  Take  it,"  she  said ;  "  it  hath  ever  been  thought 
to  bear  a  great  resemblance  to  me  and  there  may 
be  times  yonder  at  Flower  da  Hundred  when  it 
will  please  thee  to  recall  that  troublesome  Betty 
Romney." 

Our  eyes  met,  and  methinks  she  saw  that  in 
mine  which  caused  her  own  to  droop,  for  her  voice 
faltered,  and  then  stopped  short.  I  took  the  little 
pearl-set  picture  from  her  hand,  and  raised  it  rev 
erently  to  my  lips  before  thrusting  it  into  the  breast 
of  my  jerkin.  Then  —  for  the  temptation  was  too 
mighty  for  me  —  I  bent  over  Elizabeth  Romney 
and  kissed  her,  there  above  the  troubled  eyebrow, 
on  the  white  forehead,  now  flushed  rosy  red.  Yet 
spake  she  not  a  syllable. 

"  Farewell !  "  I  cried  ;  and  without  another  word 
I  rushed  out  of  the  house,  my  heart  beating  like  a 
thousand  hammers  in  my  breast. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

A  PRIVATE   QUARREL. 

OME  in,  can't  ye,  without  battering  my  door 
down  ! " 

At  this  invitation,  which  I  own  was  not  over- 
courteous,  my  door  was  thrust  open,  and  in  walked 
a  young  coxcomb  in  habit  singularly  combined  of 
the  court  and  the  wilderness.  He  was  dressed  in 
the  very  height  of  faded  finery.  If  his  hat  was 
worn  and  his  plumes  draggled,  he  atoned  for  both 
by  setting  them  the  more  jauntily  on  the  side  of 
his  head.  The  holes  in  the  ends  of  his  gloves  he 
concealed  by  holding  one  glove  and  grasping  the 
hilt  of  his  sword  with  the  other,  and  the  oiled  point 
of  his  Spanish  beard  concealed  the  tatters  of  his 
muslin  ruff,  stiff  with  saffron  starch. 

"  Good  morrow,  Master  Pierce  !  "  quoth  I.  "  And 
what,  may  I  ask,  hath  procured  me  the  honor  of 
a  visit  from  you?  I  would  have  sworn  that  the 
132 


A  Private  Quarrel. 

only  hope  of  seeing  you  lay  in  stopping  at  the 
ordinary,  under  the  sign  of  'The  Goat.'  " 

"  I  am  come,""  answered  he,  with  the  solemnity 
of  extreme  youth,  "  bringing  a  note  from  my  friend, 
Captain  Spelman,  who  doth  request  an  immediate 
reply." 

"  Very  good,"  said  I,  "  he  shall  not  suffer  from 
the  lack  of  one.  Perchance  he  has  fallen  a  trifle 
lame  this  morning,  and  desires  a  rubbing  with  my 
universal  balm  liniment.  Sit  ye  down,  Master 
Pierce,  on  yonder  stool,  while  I  run  my  eye  over 
his  symptoms.  Belike  he  hath  caught  a  chill  in 
the  night  air,  for  I  am  told  both  you  and  he  are 
o'er  given  to  late  hours." 

"  Read  the  note,  Master  Huntoon,  and  methinks 
your  own  teeth  will  chatter  as  though  (hie)  ye  had 
the  ague  yourself." 

"  So  ?  It  must  be  a  cool  epistle  indeed,  and 
quite  refreshing,  I  dare  be  sworn,  in  this  sultry 
weather.  I  will  lose  no  time  in  perusing  it." 

With  this  I  brake  the  seal,  and  unfolding  the 
letter,  I  found  within,  as  I  had  expected,  —  a 
challenge.  The  note  ran  after  this  fashion  :  — 

MR.  HUNTOON,  —  I  wonder  ye  should  so  much  de 
generate  from  a  gentleman  as  to  seek  to  cast  the 
aspersion  of  a  blackguard  upon  me  in  the  presence  of 
a  ladie  and  of  half  the  gallants  of  James  Citie.  I  know 

133 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

it  to  be  out  of  malice  and  the  evil  disposition  of  your 
hart ;  therefore  I  desire  ye,  if  so  be  that  ye  have  aught 
of  manhood  in  ye,  that  ye  meet  me  to-morrow  morning 
at  six  o'clocke,  at  ye  blazed  tree,  hard  by  the  eastern 
gate  which  leadeth  out  from  ye  palsado. 

My  weapon  is  Rapier,  ye  length  of  which  I  send  ye 
by  bearer.  Yor  seconde  bring  with  ye,  and  I  will  do 
the  like. 

Yo'rs  not  now,  but  at  ye  time  appointed, 

HENRY  SPELMAN. 

When  I  had  finished  reading  this  letter,  I  filed 
it  by  spitting  it,  as  it  were,  on  the  point  of  my 
dagger.  Then,  drawing  my  quill  pen  from  its  case, 
I  dipped  it  into  the  inkhorn  and  wrote  :  — 

Mr.  SPELMAN,  —  Perchance  'twere  looking  for  too 
much  to  expect  that  one  who  understands  not  how  to 
treat  ladies,  should  any  better  comprehend  how  to  deal 
with  gentlemen.  I  believe  it  to  be  the  practice  among 
gentlemen,  when  sending  a  challenge,  to  offer  the  choice 
of  weapons  to  their  opponent.  But  I  am  quite  content 
to  waive  this  courtesie  that  I  may  be  the  less  in  your 
debt  whatever  the  issue.  I  accept  the  Rapier,  and  will 
find  a  second. 

I  will  meet  you  at  ye  hour  and  place  appointed. 

HUMPHREY  HUNTOON. 

I  read  my  note  over  carefully  and  lighted  my 
candle  to  seal  it  withal,  when  a  sudden  thought 
came  over  me.  I  took  up  the  captain's  note  once 


A  Private  Quarrel. 

more,  and  perused  it  from  beginning  to  end  ;  after 
which  I  held  both  his  and  mine  in  the  flame  till 
they  were  consumed  to  ashes  and  fell  in  light  gray 
flakes  on  the  deal  table. 

"  'T  is  not  meet,"  said  I,  turning  me  toward  the 
stool  from  which  Pierce  was  watching  me  with 
round-eyed  astonishment,  "  that  a  lady's  name  be 
brought  into  the  matter  ;  least  of  all  in  writing. 
Say  to  him  that  sent  thee  that  I  fear  him  no  more 
armed  than  unarmed ;  that  I  am  glad  I  did  as  I  did, 
and  would  do  it  again ;  and  that  in  spite  of  the 
scant  courtesy  he  hath  shown  me,  I  do  consent  to 
the  use  of  the  rapier  and  will  meet  him  as  he 
desireth  at  the  blazed  tree  at  six  in  the  morning. 

"  As  for  the  rapier  he  hath  sent  as  a  measure, 
let  me  see  —  Ay,  it  matcheth  well  with  mine  own 
in  length." 

By  the  glint  of  my  visitor's  eye,  I  suspicioned 
that  he  was  somewhat  surprised  at  my  familiarity 
with  the  weapon ;  but  he  said  nowt  and  presently 
withdrew  with  as  much  bluster  as  had  accom 
panied  his  entrance. 

It  took  me  no  long  time  to  decide  on  my  second. 
There  was  not  a  man  in  the  colony  so  good  an 
authority  on  duelling  as  John  Pory.  To  him  I 
betook  myself. 

My  heart  was  beating  hard  and  I  felt  that  my 

135 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

affair  was  the  only  thing  of  interest  in  the  wide 
world.  It  gave  me  somewhat  of  a  chill,  therefore, 
to  find  Pory  hard  at  work  on  a  revision  of  his 
"Geographical  History  of  Africa,"  which  had  been 
published  in  London  some  years  before,  and  had 
met  with  the  good  fortune  to  be  praised  by  the 
great  Hakluyt  himself. 

As  I  entered,  Pory  looked  up,  but  was  too  much 
absorbed  in  his  own  thoughts  to  note  my  excitement. 

"The  Nile,"  said  he,  pointing  with  his  finger  to 
the  map  which  he  was  engaged  in  drawing,  "  the 
Nile,  my  boy,  is  the  great  mystery  of  the  modern 
world.  Here  have  I  traced  its  course  as  I  believe 
it  to  run  from  some  inland  lake  northward  to  the 
sea.  Some  day,  who  knows  but  you  and  I  to 
gether  may  sail  our  boats  up  to  its  hither  cata 
ract,  and  cut  our  way  thro'  the  jungles  above? 
There  were  pioneering  worth  our  while  !  " 

"Thanks,"  said  I,  "but  it  looks  now  as  if  I 
were  more  like  to  accept  a  previous  invitation  to 
visit  'that  undiscovered  country  from  whose  bourne 
no  traveller  returns.' " 

"  How  's  that  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  honored  with  a  challenge  from  —  " 

"  The  devil !  " 

"  No,  not  from  the  devil,  but  from  his  favorite 
son,  Captain  Henry  Spelman." 

136 


A  Private  Quarrel. 

"  The  insolent  beggar  !  Compliment  him  not 
with  the  title  of  captain,  for  the  Council  hath  sen 
tenced  him  to  be  stripped  thereof.  He  to  chal 
lenge  thee !  I  '11  have  out  a  writ  commanding  the 
sheriff  to  seize  and  apprehend  the  body  of  said  Spel- 
man,  and  detain  him  in  safe  custody  without  bail 
or  mainprize." 

"  Nonsense  !  I  am  not  come  to  appeal  to  an 
officer  of  His  Majesty's  province  of  Virginia,  but 
to  ask  a  favor  of  mine  old  friend,  John  Pory,  who 
in  days  of  yore  was  counted  as  good  a  shot  and  as 
steady  a  hand  at  the  fencing  foils  as  any  in  Eng 
land,  —  that  is,  when  he  was  sober,  as  seldom  hap- 
pened.  John,  will  ye  be  my  second  ?  Yea  or  nay." 

"  Faith,  ye  tempt  me  sorely.  'Tis  not  o'er  well 
befitting  that  an  officer  of  the  government  do  aid 
and  abet  the  breach  of  the  peace.  Yet  the  quarrel 
is  by  rights  as  much  mine  as  thine,  for  hadst  thou 
not  been  ahead  of  me,  I  must  e'en  have  chastised 
him  myself. 

"  He  is  a  strange  being,  that  Spelman,  —  not  a 
bad  nature,  methinks,  but  ungoverned  from  child 
hood.  He  comes  of  good  blood,  too,  being  a  son 
of  Sir  Henry  Spelman  of  Norfolk." 

"He  —  a  son  of  Sir  Henry  Spelman  ?  " 

"  Why  not,  since  he  needs  must  be  son  to  some 
man  ?  " 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  But  my  father  knew  Sir  Henry  well,  and  did 
esteem  him  much."- 

"  Well,  and  pray  what  of  that  ?  't  is  not  the  first 
time,  I  trow,  that  the  sons  of  loving  fathers  have 
fallen  foul  of  one  another,  and  cut  each  other's 
throats  with  as  much  zest  as  their  fathers  locked 
arms  withal.  But  I  understand  that  Sir  Henry  him 
self  is  not  on  terms  with  his  son,  for  the  captain 
did  tell  me  of  his  coming  to  this  country  that  'twas 
on  account  of  being  in  displeasure  with  his  friends. 

"  I  can  well  believe  it,  for  he  hath  been  ever  a 
firebrand  in  the  colony ;  yet  have  I  a  kind  of 
liking  for  the  animal,  —  perchance  through  having 
been  somewhat  of  a  scapegrace  myself  in  my  day." 

"'Tis  an  ill-chosen  time  for  descanting  on  his 
virtues,"  quoth  I,  somewhat  nettled. 

"Nay,  nay,"  cried  Pory,  stretching  out  both 
hands  in  comic  deprecation  of  my  wrath.  "  I 
look  upon  him  as  practically  already  dead,  since 
he  is  to  fight  with  thee,  and  I  was  but  speaking  an 
apology  over  his  grave.  But  come,  then,  what 
weapons  didst  thou  choose  ?  " 

"  I  had  no  opportunity  to  choose.  He  himself 
named  rapiers." 

"  Why,  that  was  a  gross  offence  against  etiquette, 
and  strange  indeed  in  a  man  whose  father  hath 
written  a  learned  treatise  on  the  code." 

138 


A  Private  Quarrel. 

"  Ay,  so  I  thought ;  but  as  it  happens,  I  am  more 
at  home  with  rapiers  than  with  other  weapons.  In 
sooth  I  am  not  in  a  mood  to  worry  over  the  issue 
of  the  quarrel.  For  one  thing  only  do  I  care,  — 
that  the  lady's  name  be  not  mixed  up  in  the 
matter." 

"  Why,  man,  how  can  it  be  helped  when  half  the 
gallants  in  the  town  saw  the  blow  ?  I  tell  thee  the 
best  thing  thou  canst  do  is  to  tie  the  lady's  colors 
to  the  hilt  of  thy  rapier  ere  thou  enter  the  lists. 
No  doubt  she  would  smile  on  thee." 

"  Say  no  more  on  that  subject,  Pory,  lest  I  fight 
thee  too  ! " 

Pory  looked  hard  at  me  with  a  twinkle  in  his 
eye,  and  then  gave  vent  to  a  long,  low  whistle. 

"  In  love  !  "  he  chuckled,  "  as  I  'm  a  living 
sinner !  'T  is  the  tender  passion  which  hath  turned 
thee  such  poor  company  of  late." 

"Jibe  on,  if  thou  wilt,"  cried  I,  all  of  a  torch, 
"  but  spare  me  from  joining  in  thy  mirth." 

With  this  I  rose  to  take  leave. 

"  Beshrew  me  if  I  ever  smile  at  thee  again,"  he 
answered;  "but  leave  me  not  ere  thou  hast  told 
me  the  hour  and  place  of  meeting,  and  what  details 
thou  and  the  captain  have  left  for  your  seconds  to 
arrange." 

"The  hour  is  six  in  the  morning.  The  place 
139 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

the  blazed  tree  near  the  eastern  gate,  and  for  the 
duties  of  the  seconds,  belike  thou  knowest  them 
better  than  I,  for  to  tell  thee  the  truth  in  con 
fidence,  't  is  my  first  affair  of  honor  and  I  am  raw 
at  the  business." 

"  I  '11  risk  thee,  tho'  it  be  thy  first.  Remember 
there  are  but  three  things  needful  in  this  kind  of  a 
fight." 

"  And,  pray,  what  be  they  ?  " 

"  A  quick  eye,  a  firm  wrist,  and  a  cool  head." 

"  But  how  goes  it  if  both  antagonists  have  all 
three  ? " 

"Why,  so  far  in  history,  no  affair  hath  e'er 
turned  up  where  either  had  them.  The  only 
question  is  whose  eye  wavers  least,  whose  wrist 
trembles  least,  and  whose  heart  chokes  him  least. 
Bear  in  mind  that  the  other  man  is  probably  worse 
affrighted  than  thou,  let  thine  own  heart  thump  in 
thy  breast  as  it  will !  " 

I  pondered  on  the  advice  as  I  walked  home 
ward,  and  again  when  I  went  to  bed,  and  yet  again 
when  I  stood  under  the  shadow  of  the  blazed  tree 
in  the  slant  light  of  the  next  morning's  sun,  and 
each  time  it  gave  me  fresh  courage. 

Pory  and  I  were  first  to  reach  the  spot  of  this 
ungentle  tryst,  but  ere  long  we  caught  sight  of 
Spelman  coming  down  the  path  which  led  from 
140 


A  Private  Quarrel. 

the  eastern  gate-way,  arm  in  arm  with  Pierce,  and 
bearing  himself  with  jaunty  assurance. 

"  He 's  cock-a-hoop  now,"  quoth  Pory,  "  but 
we  '11  trim  his  comb  for  him  ere  long." 

"  Gentlemen,  are  you  ready  ? "  queries  Pierce. 

"  Ay,  and  waiting,"  answers  Pory. 

The  captain  and  I  took  off  our  hats  to  each 
other  till  the  plumes  swept  the  ground. 

"  Faith,  't  is  as  pretty  a  salute  as  I  e'er  saw  at 
Hampton  Court !  "  cried  Pierce. 

"  I  misdoubt  if  the  jackanapes  e'er  saw  either 
the  one  or  the  other,"  Pory  whispered  to  me  as  he 
helped  me  to  strip  to  the  waist. 

With  nowt  on  above  the  belt  but  our  shirts,  and 
with  our  sleeves  rolled  to  the  elbow,  I  had  the  better 
opportunity  to  measure  mine  adversary.  I  noted 
his  heavily  built  shoulders,  and  the  muscles  on 
his  arm  standing  out  like  ropes  on  a  mast,  whereas 
I  was  but  slenderly  built,  and  my  height  gave  but 
the  greater  space  to  be  covered  by  my  guard.  But 
to  balance  this,  my  training  as  a  chirurgeon  had 
made  my  hand  steady,  and  my  adversary  had  been 
drinking  heavily  over-night 

"  Gentlemen,  stand  on  your  guard ! "  called  Pory, 
when  he  and  Pierce  had  placed  us  so  that  the  sun 
shone  on  both  alike. 

We  raised  our  rapiers  and  engaged. 
141 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

At  the  first  I  found  myself  hard  pressed  and  had 
difficulty  in  parrying.  The  weight  of  his  lunge 
was  more  than  once  like  to  lay  me  out,  but  at  the 
end  of  two  minutes,  Spelman's  guard  began  to 
weaken.  He  strove  to  recover  himself  at  octave, 
engaging  my  blade  and  binding  it,  till  he  could  slip 
his  point  past  my  wrist  and  plunge  it  in  my  side  ; 
but  I  parried  with  quinte,  and  caught  his  weapon 
with  the  edge  of  mine.  He  responded  to  this  by 
a  return  to  guard,  his  elbow  bent  and  his  body 
held  far  back,  —  too  far,  as  the  event  proved,  for 
seeing  mine  advantage,  I  raised  my  wrist  to  high 
carte,  and  throwing  all  my  force  into  the  thrust, 
I  bore  him  through  the  shoulder,  and,  his  balance 
being  weak,  he  fell  to  the  ground,  —  his  rapier, 
knocked  from  his  hand,  flying  off  to  a  distance 
of  two  or  three  paces. 

"Now,  Captain,"  said  I,  "  thou  hast  had  thy 
satisfaction,  and  I  will  have  mine." 

"  Yea,"  quoth  he,  breathing  heavily  and  faint 
from  loss  of  blood,  "  I  do  acknowledge  that  my 
life  is  justly  forfeit." 

"  Nay,"  I  answered,  "  I  have  no  use  for  thy  life, 
and  mayhap  thou  hast.  Take  it  therefore ;  but 
two  things  I  do  require  of  thee :  first,  that  thou 
offer  humble  and  contrite  apology  to  one  of  whom 
thou  wottest ;  and  second,  that  thou  do  hence- 
142 


A  Private  Quarrel. 

forth  conduct  thyself  as  beseems  the  son  of  that 
noble  gentleman  and  learned  scholar,  Sir  Henry 
Spelman." 

The  mention  of  his  father's  name  did  more 
than  my  sword-thrust  to  unman  the  captain,  who 
wept  like  a  child  the  while  he  promised  to  do  as  I 
commanded. 

Fearing  lest  the  loss  of  blood  would  cause  him 
to  swoon,  I  pulled  out  a  flask  of  brandy  and  poured 
some  down  his  throat.  Then  I  drew  out  a  roll  of 
bandages  which  I  had  prepared  for  myself  in  the 
event  of  receiving  a  wound.  Aided  by  Pory  and 
Pierce  I  propped  Spelman  against  a  tree,  and 
having  washed  the  shoulder  with  water  from  the 
river  I  bound  it  as  deftly  as  I  could.  Whilst  I 
worked,  I  could  not  but  smile  to  myself,  thinking  of 
the  trouble  it  was  giving  me  to  undo  mine  own  work. 

As  we  helped  Spelman  on  with  his  coat,  Pory 
said,  "  Gentlemen,  ye  have  made  a  gallant  fight. 
It  is  finished  with  satisfaction  to  the  honor  of  both, 
and  there  remains  but  to  shake  hands." 

I  put  forth  my  hand. 

Spelman  held  back  for  a  moment,  then  he  too 
extended  his,  saying  in  right  manly  fashion,  — 

"  Huntoon,  I  thank  you.  From  this  hour,  I  will 
try  if  't  be  too  late  for  Henry  Spelman  to  make  a 
man  of  himself !  " 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

So  we,  who  but  an  hour  ago  had  come  forth 
bent  on  shedding  one  another's  blood,  clasped 
hands  and  parted,  friends.  »T  is  a  strange  world. 

As  I  walked  back  to  the  town  the  sky  bent  blue 
above  me,  the  dew  lay  thick  on  the  curly  wreath  of 
the  ground-pine  at  my  feet.  The  oriole  and  the 
scarlet  tanager  shrilled  merrily  in  my  ear.  "  Strange 
as  the  world  is,"  thought  I,  "and  ofttimes  sad 
withal,  't  is  too  good  to  leave  ere  one's  summons 
comes." 


144 


CHAPTER  X. 

I   SET   SAIL. 

"|V  /T  Y  setting  forth  from  James  City  was  a  strange 
•LVJ.  mixture  of  gladness  and  sadness.  On  that 
day  I  donned,  for  the  first  time,  my  new  coat, 
trimmed  very  elegant  with  gold  lace,  and  set  off 
with  bars  on  the  shoulder.  'T  is  wonderful  how 
dress  doth  raise  the  heart  of  a  man.  I  felt  within 
me,  from  the  moment  of  putting  on  this  uniform  of 
office,  a  new  power  to  command. 

John  Pory  had  decreed  that  I  should  leave 
James  City  in  state,  and  accordingly  he  appeared 
at  the  hour  of  my  setting  out,  with  a  guard  of  hal 
berdiers  before  my  door.  When  I  came  out,  mine 
ears  were  assailed  by  the  notes  of  the  fife  and 
drum,  and  to  their  lively  tune  we  marched  to  the 
long  wharf  where  lay  the  shallop  "  Red  Fox,"  the 
same  in  which  we  had  sailed  for  Accomac,  now 
decked  out  with  flags  and  pennons  almost  past 
recognition. 

10  I4S 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

A  womanish  weakness  came  over  me  as  I  saw 
the  friends  waiting  round  the  wharf  to  bid  me 
good-bye.  There  were  John  Twine,  and  Ralph 
Hamor,  together  with  Master  Maycox  and  Parson 
Bucke,  each  with  a  hearty  handshake  and  a  kindly 
word  of  farewell. 

Pory  would  take  no  denial,  but  I  must  carry 
with  me  a  jug  of  his  oldest  and  best  canary ;  and 
with  a  sly  wink,  he  took  me  down  into  the  cabin  to 
pledge  my  health  ere  we  started. 

"  Huntoon,"  he  said,  as  we  stood  together  in 
the  tiny  cabin,  "  thou  art  not  in  the  main  a  bad 
fellow,  but  I  must  warn  thee  that  thou  hast  an 
enemy." 

"  Not  Captain  Spelman  surely,  after  our  kindly 
parting ! " 

"  No,  methinks  you  have  no  warmer  friend  in 
the  colony  than  Spelman.  Look  nearer  home  !  " 

"Why,  Jack,  I  must  depend  on  thee  to  enlighten 
my  dulness  of  apprehension,  for  as  I  cherish  no 
rancor  against  any  man,  so  I  know  of  none  that 
hath  cause  of  bitterness  against  me.  I  grieve  only 
that  I  have  done  so  little  to  deserve  the  esteem 
and  good-will  of  those  that  are  gathered  here  to 
day  to  do  me  honor." 

"Ay!"  burst  out  Pory,  "there  speaks  that  old 
enemy  of  thine,  thyself,  who  goes  about  crying 
146 


I  Set  Sail. 

down  thy  merits  and  abilities,  till  't  is  almost  past 
the  power  of  thy  friends  to  cry  them  up  again." 

I  laughed. 

"  Nay,"  quoth  my  mentor,  "  it  is  no  laughing 
matter.  'T  is  all  very  well  to  claim  that  a  good 
wine  needs  no  bush,  but  I  tell  thee,  the  bush  is  all 
that  this  busy  world  of  ours  gets  time  to  take  note 
on,  and  if  thou  art  wise  thou  wilt  not  hide  thine 
old  canary  character  under  any  vile  pot-house 
label. 

"Thou  art  going  now  among  new  people,  and 
those  that  will  take  thee  much  at  thine  own  esti 
mate.  Thou  canst  meech  thro'  life,  or  lord  it  as 
thou  wilt.  But  if  thou 'It  take  the  advice  of  John 
Pory,  thou  wilt  carry  thy  head  high,  and  doff  thy 
cap  to  no  man  till  thou  seest  whether,  let  alone,  he 
will  not  uncover  before  thee." 

"  No,  no,  Jack !  'T  is  too  late  for  me  to  put  on 
airs  of  grandeur.  I  must  needs  go  my  unnoted 
way;  but  to  the  end  of  the  chapter,  I  shall  con 
tinue  true  and  thankful  friend  of  thine.  It  is 
time  to  be  off.  Good-bye  !  " 

"  Good-bye,  lad,  and  good  luck  go  with  ye  ! " 

I  could  trust  myself  to  say  no  more,  and  wring 
ing  his  hand  I  hastened  out  of  the  cabin. 

When  we  had  come  on  deck  once  more,  and  all 
my  chests  were  stowed  safely  aboard,  I  saw  with 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

some  surprise  the  dapper  figure  of  Tom  Pierce, 
hastening  down  the  path  from  the  palisade  to  the 
river's  edge.  He  was  leading  by  the  hand  the 
little  black  boy  who  had  caused  such  a  pother.  I 
smiled  to  see  the  ebony  legs  and  arms  against  the 
little  white  shift  which  formed  his  only  clothing, 
and  the  black  pupils  of  his  eyes  set  in  great  rings 
of  staring  white. 

"A  word  with  you  in  private,  Master  Huntoon! " 
said  Pierce,  with  much  air  of  mystery,  when  he  had 
caught  his  breath. 

We  withdrew  a  pace  or  two  when  he  continued,  — 

"  Captain  Spelman  desires  his  compliments,  and 
begs  that  ye  will  accept  the  gift  of  this  little  negar, 
Cupid,  in  token  of  his  amity." 

I  was  much  embarrassed  by  the  offering,  for  I 
had  ever  found  it  too  hard  a  matter  to  control  my 
self,  to  desire  the  life-long  charge  of  any  other.  I 
opened  my  lips  accordingly  to  express  my  regrets 
that,  much  as  I  thanked  the  captain  for  the  tender, 
I  was  unable  to  accept  it,  when  the  black  boy, 
whose  eyes  were  shrewder  at  reading  faces  than 
his  ears  at  catching  spoken  words,  threw  himself 
on  his  knees  at  my  feet,  and  fell  to  kissing  my 
hand. 

"  Thou  seest,"  quoth  Pierce,  smiling,  "  the  gift 
has  a  mind  of  its  own  and  will  not  be  refused." 
148 


I  Set  Sail. 

"  Then,"  said  I,  "  I  will  accept  it  with  the 
same  heartiness  as  't  was  offered,  and  I  do  send 
Captain  Spelman  most  cordial  thanks  and  greet 
ings." 

"  Come,  good  master ! "  cried  a  sailor  from  be 
low,  "we  shall  lose  our  favoring  breeze  an  ye 
make  not  greater  haste." 

I  turned  toward  the  boat  and  had  just  stepped 
aboard  when  Miles  Cary  pressed  toward  me.  The 
rope  was  cast  off,  but  he  reached  across  the  gap 
of  water  a  white  packet  which  I  seized  eagerly. 
My  heart  throbbed  in  my  throat  as  I  tore  the 
letter  open.  It  contained  but  eight  words :  — 

"  God  be  near  thee 
On  land  and  sea  !  " 

and  was  signed,  "  E.  R." 

The  words  were  scrawled  with  difficulty,  as 
needs  must  be  when  one  writes  with  the  left  hand, 
but  of  all  the  tokens  of  good-will  which  that  day 
brought  me,  none  carried  such  warmth  and  cheer 
to  my  heart  as  this. 

As  the  "  Red  Fox  "  set  her  sails  and  moved 
slowly  up  the  river,  I  knew  well  that  from  the 
window  of  Miles  Gary's  cottage,  friendly  eyes 
were  looking  out  across  the  water,  and  a  friendly 
heart  was  wishing  me  "  Good  speed  "  ! 
149 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

I  remember  well  the  sinking  of  heart  with  which 
I  saw  the  figures  on  the  wharf  grow  dim  and  fade 
away  from  my  vision,  and  the  pang  with  which  I 
realized  that  I  had  let  slip  the  cables  which  bound 
me  to  so  many  tried  and  true  comrades,  and  to  the 
woman  I  loved. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FLOWER  DA   HUNDRED. 

TO  my  diffident  and  downcast  heart,  the  taking 
up  of  a  new  life  among  utter  strangers 
appeared  a  terrible  hard  task.  In  the  matter  of 
this,  however,  a  pleasant  surprise  awaited  me. 

No  sooner  was  I  come  ashore  at  Flower  da 
Hundred  than,  in  the  line  of  citizens  come  down 
to  meet  me,  I  recognized  one  as  strangely  familiar, 
tho'  I  could  not  for  the  moment  rightly  tell  where 
and  when  I  had  seen  him  last. 

To  him  had  fallen  the  honor  of  carrying  the 
keys  of  the  town-gates;  and  he  now  stepped  out 
from  the  procession  and  laid  them  in  my  hands. 
As  he  thus  drew  near  I  recognized  his  white  beard, 
and  I  knew  him  for  the  father  of  the  dumb  maid, 
whom  I  had  seen  last  aboard  the  "  Margaret  and 
John." 

"  Why,"  cried  I,  "  'tis  Giles  Lucas  !" 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  Ay,  sir,"  answered  the  old  man,  greatly  gratified 
at  my  remembrance,  "  and  wondrous  glad  to  meet 
with  thee  once  more." 

"  Art  thou  settled  here  in  Flower  da  Hundred?  " 

"  I  am,  sir,  with  my  daughter.  I  have  a  grant 
of  a  hundred  acres  of  land  at  Dancing  Point,  just 
across  the  river,  and  I  would  fain  remove  my 
house  thither,  but  my  daughter  does  be  terrible 
afeard  of  the  savages." 

"  Little  fear  of  savages  in  these  peaceful  days," 
quoth  I ;  "  yet  am  I  glad  to  find  thee  housed  here, 
for  I  have  hopes  that  thou  art  in  want  of  a  lodger, 
as  I  of  a  lodging." 

"  If  my  poor  house  be  counted  worthy  to  enter 
tain  the  Head  of  the  Hundred,  I  shall  be  but  too 
much  honored,"  said  Lucas,  with  a  bow  worthy  of 
a  courtier. 

Thus  it  came  about  that  I  took  up  my  lodging 
with  these  good  people,  who  from  that  time  on 
seemed  to  have  no  thought  in  life,  save  how  to 
make  me  comfortable.  Owing  to  his  skill  at  car 
pentering,  Giles  Lucas's  house  was  the  most  solid 
and  commodious  in  the  settlement.  The  daughter, 
going  so  little  abroad,  had  the  more  time  to  devote 
to  keeping  home  orderly  and  tidy.  She  did  appear 
better  in  mind  and  body  than  when  I  saw  her  first 
on  shipboard,  and  her  presence  seemed  to  carry 


Flower  da  Hundred. 

with  it  a  benediction.  As  she  sat  spinning  at  her 
flax-wheel  I  could  have  fancied  a  halo  around  her 
head  like  that  above  the  Saints  and  Martyrs  of 
old,  and  her  lips  wore  oft  a  peaceful  smile  as 
though  friendly  spirits  were  whispering  airy  secrets 
in  her  ear  which  was  more  delicately  attuned  than 
our  rude  natures.  Her  very  affliction  seemed  to 
lend  her  a  peculiar  sacredness,  setting  her  apart 
from  the  jarring  discords  of  the  world  and  shutting 
her  in  to  a  peaceful  inner  realm  where  reigned  an 
eternal  calm. 

Her  father  worshipped  her  with  such  an  intensity 
of  affection  as  sometimes  led  me  to  wonder  if  it 
were  right  that  one  life  should  be  so  absorbed 
in  another ;  but  't  was  clear  that  he  found  his 
happiness  in  ministering  to  hers,  and  she  in  turn 
lavished  love  and  gratitude  in  unstinted  measure 
upon  him. 

Poor  though  they  were,  and  exiled  from  their 
native  land,  they  needed  no  pity,  for  they  lived  in 
a  spirit  of  unity  which  can  make  a  paradise  of  a 
desert.  This  land,  however,  is  very  far  different  to 
a  desert.  'Tis  a  land  of  plenty,  where  any,  striving 
with  a  will,  may  find  a  rich  return  for  his  toil.  For 
myself,  the  thousand  crowns  which  appeared  but  a 
pittance  in  England,  was  here  accounted  a  hand 
some  competence,  and  I  was  thankful  enow  that  I 

153 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

neither  lived  in  poverty  nor  pomp,  but  in  a  very 
good  indifferency  and  to  a  full  content. 

I  had  abode  with  the  Lucases  some  months, 
when  a  young  farmer  who  worked  the  plantation 
on  Dancing  Point,  which  Giles  Lucas  owned, 
came  a-wooing  to  Joan.  I  doubt  not  he  really  was 
fond  of  the  maid,  but  more  than  this  't  was  his  assur 
ance  that  she  would  make  a  good  housewife,  and 
a  clever  dairywoman,  which  led  him  to  ask  her 
hand  of  her  father. 

'T  was  a  curious  study  to  see  the  mingling  of 
emotions  in  the  old  man's  mind,  what  with  joy  that 
his  daughter  should  be  chosen  to  wife  like  other 
maids,  for  all  her  infirmities,  and  grief  at  the 
thought  of  losing  her  even  partially  out  of  his  life. 
At  length  he  decided  in  his  own  mind  that  it  was 
best  for  her,  and  quietly  made  the  sacrifice  of  his 
own  feelings  as  of  everything  else  for  his  maid's 
sake. 

"  You  see,  sir,  when  I  'm  gone,  she  '11  have  no 
one  to  look  after  her,  and  she  's  na'  one  can  fight 
her  own  battles  in  a  rough  world  like  this.  William 
Wilkins  is  not  wholly  to  my  liking,  but  he  '11  make 
her  a  kind  man,  and  he  shall  have  her." 

"  Hast  thou  spoken  with  Joan  ?  " 

"  Nay,  there  's  no  need.     From  a  babe  she  has 
known  no  will  but  mine." 
154 


Flower  da  Hundred. 

"  Nevertheless,  maids  have  oft  a  mind  of  their 
own  on  this  subject,  be  they  never  so  meek  on  all 
others,  and  I  counsel  thee  to  ask  her  ere  thou  give 
thy  consent  to  Wilkins." 

"  Why,  then,  I  will  speak  with  her ;  tho'  't  is  a 
mere  form." 

'T  was  that  very  evening  at  twilight  that  Lucas, 
following  mine  advice,  did  by  signs  and  manifold 
gestures,  wherein  both  he  and  she  are  wondrous 
skilled,  communicate  to  her  his  plans  for  the 
future. 

'T  was  some  time  ere  Joan  did  comprehend  the 
drift  of  his  meaning ;  but  when  she  caught  it  she 
fell  into  a  very  passion  of  weeping,  and  would  not 
cease  till  she  had  his  promise  to  speak  no  more  on 
the  subject.  Even  when  he  had  promised,  and  sat 
smoothing  her  hair  and  speaking  soothing  words 
which,  God  help  her,  she  could  not  hear,  she  still 
clung  to  him  as  tho'  some  one  might  tear  her 
away. 

I  rose  silently  to  get  my  candle  that  I  might 
steal  away  unperceived  and  leave  them  together ; 
but  as  I  passed  the  wooden  settle  on  which  they 
sat,  she  turned  on  me  such  a  look  of  mute  and 
piteous  reproach,  as  made  me  angry  both  with 
myself  and  her. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,"  quoth  I  to  myself,  "  why 

'55 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

have  I  such  an  accursed  habit  of  mixing  myself  up 
with  the  concerns  of  others  ?  Why  should  Joan 
Lucas  look  at  me  as  if  't  were  I,  in  place  of  Wil- 
kins,  who  was  striving  to  take  her  away  from  her 
father  ?  " 

I  had  little  more  than  reached  my  chamber  when 
I  heard  Lucas  call  me,  and  running  down  the  ladder 
which  led  to  my  room,  I  was  horror-struck  to  see 
Joan  sitting  rigid  on  the  floor,  her  back  propped 
against  a  stool. 

Her  eyes  were  set  and  her  countenance  fixed  in 
a  look  of  anguish.  Her  fair  hair  fell  dishevelled 
around  her,  and  gave  a  weird  expression  to  the 
face  ordinarily  gentle  and  placid. 

As  I  entered,  her  look  changed  from  terror  to 
relief,  her  arm  which  had  been  stretched  out 
straight  and  stiff,  fell  to  her  side,  and  her  breath 
ing  began  to  subside  from  its  labored  gasps. 

"  Is  she  often  thus  ? "  I  asked  of  the  father,  as 
together  we  laid  her  on  the  canvas-covered  bed  of 
straw  in  her  little  room.  The  old  man  trembled 
painfully,  his  head  shaking  as  if  he  had  the  palsy. 
In  place  of  answering  my  question  he  only  mut 
tered  to  himself  over  and  over  again  :  "  It  bodes 
no  good  !  It  bodes  no  good !  " 

Seeing  that  the  father  stood  more  in  need  of 
my  aid  than  the  daughter,  who  was  now  sunk  in 
156 


Flower  da  Hundred. 

quiet  slumber,  I  mixed  for  him  a  stiff  mugful  of 
aqua-vitae^  which  he  drank  in  long  gulps,  glanc 
ing  ever  and  anon  over  his  shoulder,  like  one 
shaken  by  fear. 

"  Tell  me,"  said  I,  slapping  him  gently  on  the 
shoulder  to  hearten  him  up,  "  has  your  daughter 
e'er  before  had  such  an  attack  as  this  ?" 

"Ay,"  he  answered,  speaking  like  one  in  a 
dream. 

"  When  were  they,  and  how  fared  she  in  them  ? 
Mayhap  I  may  help  her  if  I  can  learn  the  story  of 
her  affliction." 

"  Why,  sir,  — "  began  the  poor  old  man,  and 
then  broke  down  utterly.  Sinking  on  the  stool, 
he  rocked  to  and  fro  in  his  misery,  the  great  tears 
running  down  the  furrows  of  his  cheeks. 

"  Come,  come,  man  !  Cheer  up  !  Thou  must 
bear  a  braver  heart  than  this,  if  but  for  thy  maid's 
sake." 

"  For  my  maid's  sake  !  Oh,  good  master  !  We 
are  sore  in  need  of  help,  she  and  I ;  but  there  's 
nowt  I  wud  na  do  for  her  sake.  'T  was  for  her  I 
left  England.  An  old  man  does  not  tear  his  heart 
away  from  his  fireside  and  his  porch  and  the 
friendly  gossip  of  his  neighbors,  without  a  sore 
struggle ;  yet  have  I  turned  my  back  on  them  all 
and  come  to  die  in  a  strange  land,  all  because  I 

157 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

loved  my  maid  better  than  home  or  friends,  or  life 
itself." 

"  Faith,  't  was  a  strange  love  that  bade  thee  drag 
her  thus  over  stormy  seas,  to  a  land  filled  with 
savages." 

I  spake  roughly,  but  Lucas  was  too  full  of  his 
own  grief  to  heed  my  tone,  though  it  had  been 
harsh  as  a  rook's,  or  soft  as  a  cooing  dove's. 

"Ay,"  he  answered,  "'twas  hard;  but  I  saw  no 
other  way  to  save  her.  The  neighbors  had  already 
begun  to  whisper  dark  things  about  her.  One  told 
how  she  had  been  seen  from  her  casement,  point 
ing  her  finger  at  Dame  Derby's  babe,  which  was 
carried  to  its  grave  within  a  week.  My  poor 
lass,  that  would  na  hurt  a  worm,  and  that  cried 
her  eyes  out  the  day  our  lamb  was  sent  to  the 
butcher, — to  think  of  her  casting  the  evil  eye  on 
a  baby! 

"  But  folk  are  cruel,  and  I  tell  thee,  had  we 
tarried  in  Ilfracombe  another  three  months,  as 
sure  as  there  's  a  devil  in  hell,  my  daughter  had 
been  burned  as  a  witch." 

I  started. 

"  Poor  lass  ! "  he  murmured,  looking  tenderly 
upon  the  motionless  figure  on  the  pallet.  "She 
knows  nowt  of  the  dark  fate  hanging  over  her, 
and  my  hope  was  that  in  some  wild  of  the  West 

158 


Flower  da  Hundred. 

we  might  find  a  home  where  she  and  I  might  live 
out  our  days  in  peace  ;  but  I  fear  —  I  fear  !  " 

With  this  he  fell  a-trembling  once  more. 

"Look  ye,  Giles  Lucas,"  said  I.  "You  have 
done  well  to  tell  me  this.  I  will  stand  your  friend 
against  all  comers,  and  do  what  I  can  for  this  poor 
maid  ;  but  see  to  it,  after  this,  that  ye  keep  a  close 
tongue  in  your  head,  for  our  settlers  are  full  of 
strange  fancies  and  superstitions.  If  they  catch 
but  a  hint  of  this  business  they  v/ill  be  for  burn 
ing  or  drowning,  or  any  other  swift  and  easy  means 
of  ridding  the  colony  of  a  witch. 

"  There,  there !  Don't  tremble  so,  and  look  as 
tho'  the  worst  were  already  come !  I  say  they 
shall  know  naught  of  what  hath  befallen.  Thou 
and  I  alone  are  in  the  secret  and  methinks  we  are 
both  men  who  can  be  silent  when  we  will ! " 

Whilst  I  was  speaking,  the  maiden,  as  tho' 
catching  the  meaning  of  my  words,  opened  her 
eyes  and  smiled.  'T  was  the  sweetest  look  I  ever 
saw  on  earth,  something  between  the  smile  of  an 
infant  and  the  benediction  of  an  angel. 

"Talk  not  to  me,"  said  I  to  myself,  "of  that 
maid  and  the  black  mysteries  of  witchcraft 
together." 

"  God  bless  you,  sir ! "  quoth  the  old  man,  sitting 
there  beside  the  bed,  like  Father  Time  with  his 

159 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

white  beard  resting  on  his  doubled  fist,  "  for  your 
kindness  to  my  poor  maid,  and  may  He  send  me 
the  chance  to  repay  you  some  day  ! " 

Turning  to  go  out,  I  looked  long  at  the  silent 
figure  on  the  bed  and  as  I  looked,  I  fell  a-thinking 
of  the  Trojan  maid  of  whom  I  had  read  in  my 
boyish  days,  the  maid  whose  hard  fate  it  was  to  fore 
tell  evil  to  her  kindred  and  to  those  around  her; 
always  to  warn,  never  to  be  believed,  and  finally 
to  perish  in  the  ruin  she  had  predicted. 

I  shut  the  door  softly. 

"  Poor  thing!  "  I  murmured. 


1 60 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A  CHRISTMAS   GIFT. 

TT  was  Christmas  day  —  the  first  I  e'er  spent  out 
-••  of  England,  and  indeed  it  would  have  been 
easy  to  make  myself  believe  that  I  was  in  Eng 
land  once  more,  so  like  was  the  day  to  our  Christ 
mas  at  home.  The  morning  before  we  had  gath 
ered  armfuls  of  the  scarlet-berried  holly  along  the 
wayside,  pulled  off  big  boughs  of  mistletoe,  and  cut 
down  pine-trees  in  the  forest  These  we  dragged 
thro'  the  gates  with  difficulty ;  so  great  was  the 
spread  of  their  branches,  and  such  their  weight  that 
a  yoke  of  oxen  must  needs  be  fastened  to  each. 

The  little  church  was  decked  with  ivy  and  green 
wreaths  dotted  with  bright  holly  berries  and  the 
houses  were  gay  with  candles,  when  on  Christmas 
eve,  beneath  the  cold  December  moon,  a  band  of 
waits  sang  their  carols  beneath  my  window. 

As  I  was  returning  from  the  morning  service  in 
the  chapel,  I  saw  an  Indian  standing  before  the 
ii  161 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

door  of  Lucas's  cottage.  His  limbs  were  cased  in 
leggins  of  buckskin,  fringed  along  the  side;  his 
head  was  covered  with  a  cap  of  fur,  and  his  body 
was  likewise  kept  warm  by  a  skin  of  fur.  In 
his  hand  he  held  a  bundle.  As  he  saw  me  he 
uttered  a  cry  of  joy,  and  loosening  the  leathern 
thongs  which  bound  his  bundle,  he  laid  at  my  feet 
the  skin  of  an  enormous  black  bear. 

It  was  Oropax.  He  was  come,  in  fulfilment  of 
his  promise,  to  Jamestown,  and  finding  me  gone 
had  followed  on  to  Flower  da  Hundred. 

When  he  had  deposited  his  burden,  he  was  fain 
to  be  gone  at  once,  for  he  said  the  king,  his  father, 
had  been  loth  to  trust  him  amongst  the  pale-faces, 
and  he  had  promised  to  return  within  three  days. 

His  discourse  was  open  and  friendly ;  but  the 
savages  who  accompanied  him  were  surly  and 
full  of  suspicion.  Finding  that  he  would  not  bide 
with  us,  I  took  him  into  the  house  and  filled  for 
him  a  dish  of  the  dinner,  which  Joan  was  cooking 
extra  good  in  honor  of  the  day ;  I  loaded  his 
trencher  with  hot  corn  meal  and  the  tender  flesh 
of  a  sucking  pig,  and  to  wash  all  down  I  gave 
him  a  mug  of  Pory's  old  canary  wine,  which 
he  did  mightily  relish.  When  he  had  eaten  and 
drunken  he  took  his  departure,  promising  to  come 
again  in  the  spring. 

162 


A  Christmas  Gift. 

"  'T  will  make  a  famous  cushion  for  thy  study 
chair,"  quoth  Lucas,  when  he  saw  it.  I  shook  my 
head,  smiling. 

"  Wilt  thou,  then,  have  it  for  a  rug  on  thy  floor  ? 
I  did  not  think  thou  didst  care  for  such  luxuries." 

"  Nay,  Lucas,"  said  I,  "  I  intend  not  to  keep  it 
for  myself  at  all,  but  to  send  it  to  a  friend  of  mine 
at  Mount  Malado." 

"  If  thou  hast  a  sick  friend,  why  dost  not  bring 
him  here  to  be  nursed  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Nay,  thou  art  mistook.  My  friend  is  not  sick, 
but  a  nurse  in  the  hospital,"  I  said. 

"  Why,  they  have  only  women,"  he  began,  then 
paused,  and  studied  me  curiously. 

I  carried  the  rug  to  my  room  and  looked  at  it 
with  satisfaction.  I  could  fancy  the  pale,  pure 
profile  standing  out  against  its  blackness,  and  the 
delicate  white  fingers  buried  in  its  long,  thick  fur. 
When  I  had  rolled  it  up  and  secured  it  once  more 
with  the  leathern  thongs  which  had  bound  it  on  its 
journey  from  Accomac,  I  sat  down  at  my  table, 
drew  forth  my  pen  and  inkhorn,  and  wrote  :  — 

FLOWER  DA  HUNDRED, 

XMAS  DAY,  1620. 

DEAR  SISTER  ELIZABETH,  —  For  so  they  tell  me 
thou  art  called  yonder  at  Mount  Malado,  thinkest  thou 
not 't  is  somewhat  hard  that 't  is  from  others  only  that  I 

163 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

have  thus  far  learned  of  thy  welfare  ?  To  me  it  seemeth 
so,  but  Christmas  day  is  the  season  for  forgiveness,  and 
I  do  extend  thee  full  and  free  pardon  for  this  thy  sin. 

Perchance  thou  dost  remember  how  one  night  in 
James  City,  the  last  before  we  parted,  thou  didst  flout 
me  with  having  forgotten  my  promise  anent  a  certain 
bear-skin.  "  Men  "  (these  were  thy  words)  "  will  swear 
us  mighty  oaths,  but  in  their  fulfilment  are  they  won 
drous  modified." 

Now  it  is  my  design  to  heap  coals  of  fire  on  thy 
head  by  sending  thee  the  very  bear-skin  for  which  I  did 
agree  there  in  Accomac,  looking  to  the  fulfilment  of 
that  promise  made  thee.  To-day,  young  Oropax,  the 
son  of  the  king,  to  whom  I  did  some  trifling  service, 
appeared  in  Flower  da  Hundred  with  this  skin,  the 
largest,  I  verily  believe,  in  Virginia.  I  trust  thou  wilt 
use  it  for  the  back  of  thy  chair,  which,  if  I  recall  aright, 
was  thy  part  of  the  compact. 

I  know  not  if  thou  hast  enough  interest  in  an  old 
friend  to  care  to  hear  of  his  life,  yet  will  I  set  thee  an 
example,  for  I  am  longing  daily  to  hear  thus  of  thee. 
In  the  morning  I  say,  "  Now  Mistress  Betty  will  be  at 
breakfast ;  "  and  at  noon,"  Now  she  perchance  is  prepar 
ing  some  dainty  dish  for  her  sick  patients ;  "  and  straight 
way  I  fall  a-wishing  for  an  attack  of  sickness  which 
shall  send  me  to  Mount  Malado,  but  'twould  be  hard 
indeed  for  a  man  to  sicken  with  such  care  as  I  have 
here. 

Thou  must  know  that  I  have  fallen  in  with  an  old 

man  named  Lucas,  who  hath  a  dumb  daughter.     They 

seemed  from  the  first  like  old  acquaintance,  since  they 

came  over  with  me  in  the  "  Margaret  and  John,"  and 

164 


A  Christmas  Gift. 

't  is    they  who  have  taken  me  in  and  made    me  at 
home. 

I  would  that  thou  couldst  see  Joan  Lucas.  She  is 
not  accounted  beautiful ;  but  to  me  her  soft  grey  eyes 
are  full  of  a  pathetic  charm,  and  her  fair  hair  lies  like  a 
halo  round  her  face.  I  have  learned  to  talk  with  her  by 
signs,  and  I  find  her  mind  as  clear  in  intelligence  as 
any  that  have  the  use  of  both  tongue  and  ears. 

She  sits  ever  with  her  spinning-wheel  close  by  the 
window,  and  as  I  draw  near  the  door  at  even  and  see 
her  smile  of  welcome,  truly  she  seemeth  to  me  like 
some  guardian  spirit  set  to  care  for  my  welfare. 

I  would  thou  couldst  have  such  an  one  yonder  at 
Mount  Malado.  Hast  thou  thine  old  headlong  habits  ? 
If  so,  I  wonder  they  do  trust  thee  with  the  mixing  of 
drugs.  Prithee  write  me  just  what  thou  dost,  and  when 
thou  art  about  it,  that  I  may  pin  it  up  as  the  Papists 
pin  up  their  hours  for  nones  and  vespers,  and  I  will 
learn  it  by  heart  for  my  Saints'  Calendar. 

Thy  faithful  friend,  and  most  devoted  servant, 
HUMPHREY  HUNTOON. 

I  read  over  my  letter,  well  pleased  to  find  naught 
therein  which  could  offend  Mistress  Betty,  or  lead 
her  to  think  that  under  guise  of  a  Christmas  gift 
I  sought  to  play  the  lover  against  her  will.  When 
I  had  sealed  it  with  red  wax,  I  sent  for  Cupid,  and 
bad*  him  carry  both  letter  and  bundle  to  Mount 
Malado,  and  I  particularly  charged  him  to  wait  for 
a  letter  to  be  returned.  He  was  to  take  the  skiff ; 


Ttit  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

and,  departing  as  he  did  on  a  Monday,  I  reckoned 
that  he  should  be  back  on  Wednesday. 

To  my  eagerness  even  two  days  looked  a  long 
time,  but  I  whiled  away  the  hours  by  fancying  the 
kind  words  which  should  greet  my  eye,  the  hint  of 
perfume  on  the  paper,  and  the  joy  lying  in  the  very 
sight  of  the  hand-writing  which  so  far  was  only 
connected  for  me  with  the  cruel  note  I  had  carried 
so  long.  I  resolved  that  I  would  destroy  that  as 
the  old  year  died,  and  would  carry  in  its  place  the 
new  letter,  if  it  should  prove  kind,  and  such  an  one 
as  could  be  worn  as  an  amulet  folded  about  the 
picture  which  I  bore  ever  on  my  breast. 

The  sun  was  drawing  towards  setting  on  Wednes 
day  eve  when  Cupid  found  his  way  to  the  room 
where  I  was  sitting  alone. 

**  Quick  !  "  I  cried,  holding  out  my  hand,  "  the 
letter ! " 

"  Xo  letter.  Mars  Humphrey,"  says  he. 

At  first  I  fancied  that  he  had  lost  the  letter  by 
the  way,  and  feared  to  confess  it ;  but  when  I  ques 
tioned  him  the  whole  story  came  out.  He  had 
come  safely  and  without  adventure  to  Mount  Ma- 
lado,  and  been  admitted  to  the  presence  of  a  u  boo- 
ful  lady"  whom  they  called  Sister  Elizabeth.  When 
he  laid  the  skin  at  her  feet  and  told  her  't  was  from 
me,  she  smiled  and  wept,  and  when  he  handed  her 
1 66 


A  Christmas  Gift. 

the  letter  she  looked  at  it  "her  eyes  all  shining," 
but  as  she  read  on,  she  grew  angry,  and  stamped 
with  her  foot  on  the  ground. 

"  Tell  your  master,"  said  she,  "  that  I  thank  him 
for  the  bear-skin,  which  is  of  a  rare  size  and  hand 
someness.  Tell  him,  too,  that  I  am  glad  he  hath 
found  such  good  friends  in  Flower  da  Hundred, 
and  say  that  I  do  earnestly  counsel  him  to  take  a 
dumb  wife,  that  he  may  talk  all  he  will  without 
contradiction." 

Cupid,  whom  I  have  encouraged  to  prattle  o'er 
familiarly  with  me,  did  venture  on  a  grin  as  he 
uttered  the  message ;  which  he  did  swiftly  repent, 
for  I  shook  him  till  his  teeth  chattered. 

"  Rascal ! "  cried  I,  "  't  is  an  impudent  falsehood 
of  thine  own  invention." 

The  poor  black  boy,  fearing,  I  suppose,  that  I 
was  about  to  beat  him,  fell  on  his  knees  and  en 
treated  me  to  believe  him,  for  he  spoke  but  the 
truth,  and  the  lady  had  made  him  repeat  the  mes 
sage  twice  that  he  might  learn  it  pat. 

It  was  clear  to  me  that  't  was  the  truth  he  spake, 
and  indeed  as  I  pondered  on  the  language,  I  saw 
clearly  that 't  was  none  of  his.  There  was  no  just 
cause  for  surprise,  I  said  to  myself,  bitterly;  'twas 
just  such  a  message  as  might  have  been  expected 
of  the  writer  of  that  first  letter.  This  was  the  real 
167 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

Betty  Romney.  The  other  — the  brilliant,  tender 
thing  of  April  smiles  and  tears  —  was  but  the  crea 
tion  of  mine  own  fancy,  which  had  conjured  up  a 
beautiful  soul  where  nature  had  made  only  the 
body  fair. 

"  I  would  have  forgiven  her  aught  else,"  said  I 
to  myself,  "  if  only  she  had  spared  Joan  Lucas.' 


1 68 


CHAPTER  XIIL 

A   VISIT   TO   MY   NEIGHBORS. 

T  T  was  a  joyful  day  for  me  when  John  Pory  came 
-••  to  Flower  da  Hundred  to  pay  me  a  visit,  the 
first  in  two  years.  The  bright  October  air  lay  soft 
and  hazy  on  the  horizon,  but  clear  overhead.  It 
was  hunter's  weather.  Many  a  night  under  the 
moon  we  treed  the  wily  opossum ;  or  by  day,  with 
dogs  and  servants,  tracked  the  fox  and  the  wolf 
through  the  crackling  underbrush,  or,  hiding  in 
the  deep  river  grasses,  shot  the  wild  duck  on  the 
wing. 

'Twas  a  visit  of  business  as  well  as  pleasure, 
however.  Pory  brought  to  me  a  bundle  of  papers 
from  the  governor,  and  bore  also  messages  for  a 
certain  Master  Jordon,  who  had  builded  a  stout 
palisado  between  Flower  da  Hundred  and  Martins- 
Brandon.  Within  this  wall  of  wood  he  had  raised 
a  fine  house,  and  within  the  house  he  had  a  pretty 
wife,  —  one  (so  rumor  said)  whom  marriage  had  not 
169 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

cured  of  the  habit  of  making  eyes  at  every  man 
she  met. 

Pory  requested  that  I  should  bear  him  company 
to  this  place,  which  the  owner  thereof  hath  chris 
tened  "  Jordon's  Journey ;  "  and  so  it  fell  out  that 
one  day  when  the  sun  was  dancing  on  the  yellow 
river,  we  dropped  down  the  stream  in  a  cockle 
shell  skiff  rowed  by  Cupid,  since  the  wind  was  too 
light  to  fill  the  sail. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  little  wharf  which  runs 
out  into  the  river  from  Master  Jordon's  plantation, 
we  found  by  the  shore  an  Indian  servant,  who  ran 
on  ahead  to  the  house  to  herald  our  approach. 

The  master  of  the  house  was  gone  on  horseback 
to  look  after  his  tobacco-fields ;  but  his  wife,  Mis 
tress  Cicely  Jordon,  made  us  welcome,  and  me- 
thought  wasted  no  regrets  on  her  husband's 
absence.  She  and  Pory  fell  at  once  into  jesting 
talk,  whilst  I  amused  myself  in  looking  over  the 
books,  heavy  folios  and  stout,  leather-bound  duo 
decimos,  which  were  piled  one  on  top  of  other,  as 
is  the  wont  of  a  man  who  useth  them  but  little. 

Taking  up  one  of  the  volumes,  I  brushed  away 
the  dust  with  my  glove  before  opening. 

"  Look !  "  cried  Mrs.  Cicely,  laughing,  yet  a  trifle 
vexed  withal ;  "  is  he  not  rude  to  be  calling  atten 
tion  thus  to  my  bad  housekeeping  ? 
170 


A    Visit  to  My  Neighbors. 

"  Nevertheless  I  shall  insist  on  showing  you 
over  our  new  house,  tho'  't  will  make  my  husband 
vexed  that  he  was  not  here  to  do 't  himself." 

"'Twere  worth  crossing  Jordan  to  enter  Para 
dise,"  exclaimed  Pory,  bowing  low,  "  especially  if 
one  be  conducted  by  an  angel ! " 

"  O  law,  Mr.  Pory  ! "  quoth  Mrs.  Cicely,  with  a 
giggle ;  "  I  Ve  not  heard  such  talk  since  I  came 
over." 

"  Then  you  should  have  tarried  at  Jamestown, 
where  the  gallants  know  how  to  appreciate  female 
loveliness,"  says  Master  John,  as  bold  as  brass. 

"  Perhaps,"  said  I,  coughing,  "  'tis  not  that  our 
eyes  are  poorer,  but  our  discretion  greater,  further 
up  the  river." 

My  suggestion  was  the  sooner  heeded  that  just 
at  the  moment  the  sound  of  horses'  hoofs  was 
heard  without,  and  an  instant  later  the  master  of 
the  house  entered,  —  a  loud-voiced,  red-faced  Eng 
lish  squire,  who  bade  us  make  ourselves  at  home, 
which  we  soon  found  to  mean  making  free  with  the 
brandy  and  aqua-vitae. 

"  What  luxury  is  this,  Master  Jordon !  "  cried  I, 
as  he  opened  a  heavily  panelled  door. 

"  A  dining-room  separate  from  the  kitchen ! 
Why,  the  next  step  will  be  a  ball-room  and  a  ban- 
queting-hall." 

171 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  In  truth  it  may  well  be  that  my  children's  chil 
dren  shall  see  such  grandeur.  Things  are  moving 
rapidly  here  in  Virginia." 

"  Ay,  verily,"  adds  Pory ;  "  every  ship  that  sails 
the  sea  now-a-days  comes  over  loaded  with  Delft 
ware  or  pewter  services;  and  even  silver  spoons 
may  be  seen  on  the  tables  at  James  City,  where 
they  strike  such  envy  to  the  hearts  of  them  that 
own  them  not,  as  hath  tempted  the  Council  to  put 
them  under  the  ban  of  the  sumptuary  laws." 

"  Why,  Cis  !  "  cried  Master  Jordon,  "  he  must 
have  caught  sight  of  thy  new  chest.  Have  out  thy 
best  for  dinner!  We  will  be  ready  for  it  anon, 
when  we  have  visited  the  smoke-house  and  the 
wind-mill." 

"  Thanks,  good  Master  Jordon,"  said  I,  "  but 
methinks  we  were  best  not  to  tarry  for  dinner,  but 
to  hoist  sail  for  home  when  Secretary  Pory  hath 
delivered  to  thee  the  messages  he  bringeth  from 
the  governor." 

"  Not  stay  for  dinner !  Tut,  tut,  man  !  Offer 
not  such  an  insult  to  a  Virginia  planter  as  to  talk 
of  leaving  his  house  without  breaking  bread  with 
him ! " 

Thus  pressed,  we  tarried  for  dinner,  and  sat  us 
down  to  a  feast  of  hung  beef  and  hominy  with 
boiled  potatoes  (a  great  luxury),  and  a  delicious 
172 


A    Visit  to  My  Neighbors. 

dish  made  by  the  Indian  servant,  Chantro.  'T  was 
compounded  of  maize  mixed  with  beans,  and  cooked 
with  butter  and  milk,  slightly  salted.  This  dainty 
was  served  in  Delft  saucers,  and  we  ate  it  with 
Mistress  Jordon's  new  silver  spoons. 

When  dinner  was  ended,  Chantro,  the  Indian 
lad,  aided  by  my  negro  boy,  Cupid,  brought  in 
some  tobacco  in  a  lily  pot,  otherwise  a  jar  of  white 
earth.  Master  Jordon  lighted  Pory's  pipe  with  a 
coal  of  fire  held  in  the  clutches  of  a  tiny  pair  of 
silver  tongs,  brought  over,  as  I  suspicioned,  along 
with  the  spoons  in  the  last  packet.  For  my  own 
light  I  preferred  the  fresh  stick  of  fragrant  juniper 
which  Cupid  held  to  my  tobacco. 

Mistress  Cicely,  so  far  from  finding  the  smoke 
unpleasant,  sat  herself  down  close  at  my  side  upon 
a  stiff  straight-backed  chair  of  black  oak,  which 
would,  doubtless,  have  been  uncomfortable  had 
she  not  been  sustained  by  the  thought  that  her 
fluffy  golden  hair  and  pink  and  white  skin  looked 
wondrous  well  against  that  dark  setting. 

She  sat  a  moment  running  her  fingers  through 
her  light  love-locks,  playing  with  her  rings,  and 
settling  her  farthingale,  while  I  sought  vainly  for 
a  theme  whereon  to  converse.  'T  was  as  if  a  bear 
were  seeking  some  interest  in  common  with  a 
butterfly. 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

At  length  she  relieved  me  of  my  embarrassment 
by  beginning  herself  :  "  Didst  ever  visit  Mount 
Malado?" 

I  started,  as  a  bear  might  start  when  a  butterfly 
lights  upon  an  open  wound. 

"  Nay,  I  have  ne'er  visited  it,  tho'  't  is  not  far,  as 
thou  knowest,  from  Flower  da  Hundred.  Dost 
thou  know  the  place  ?  " 

"  Ay,  I  was  there  but  last  week." 

"  Pray  how  did  that  befall  ?  " 

"Why,  now  thou  art  waking  up.  Thine  eyes 
have  been  half  asleep  till  now.  Well,  I  will  tell 
thee  of  my  visit,  and  I  can  assure  thee  the  spot  is 
well  worth  a  day's  journey,  for,  an  it  be  not  itself 
an  Eden,  it  holds  the  fairest  Eve  in  Virginia." 

"  Go  on,  I  prithee  !  " 

"  I  am  going  on,  but  my  discourse  is  ever  a 
rambling  path  and  must  be  permitted  its  digres 
sions.  I  went  to  Mount  Malado  to  visit  a  young 
man.  There,  don't  flush  up  and  look  so  absurdly 
jealous  !  What  is  it  to  thee  ?  Besides,  he  was  my 
cousin." 

"  And  how  old  did  you  say  he  was  ?  " 

"  I  said  naught  of  his  age,  but  't  is  the  properest 

to  make  an  interesting  man,  —  about  like  thine,  I 

should  say.     But  to  relieve  thy  feverish  impatience 

I  will  acquit  myself  at  once  of  all  sentiment,  by 

174 


A   Visit  to  My  Neighbors. 

telling  thee  that  he  is  sunk  fathoms  deep  in  love 
with  another." 

"No!" 

"  Ay,  with  an  angel,  a  vision  from  heaven,  as  he 
thinks,  who,  for  the  short  time  she  is  allowed  to 
walk  the  earth,  doth  spend  her  life  in  the  holy 
duties  of  caring  for  the  sick  and  goeth  by  the 
name  of  '  Sister  Elizabeth.'  " 

"And  didst  thou  see  this  paragon  when  thou 
didst  visit  Mount  Malado  ?  " 

"  Nay,  jest  not  at  her  perfections.  I  own  I  do 
not  as  an  ordinary  thing  care  for  women.  Methinks 
they  comprehend  not  my  nature  so  well  as  men, 
but  I  confess  that  when  I  had  seen  this  '  Sister 
Elizabeth,'  my  heart  was  as  far  gone  as  Cousin 
Will's." 

"  Canst  thou  describe  her  ?  " 

"  Oh,  ay,  I  could  rave  all  day  of  her  beauty,  but 
belike  I  could  not  make  you  see  it.  You  dark  men 
are  ever  so  crazed  over  flaxen  hair  and  red  and 
white  skin,  like  —  like  mine,  for  instance." 

"  Mock  not  at  my  susceptibility ;  but  try  if  thy 
lively  wit  can  paint  this  angel  of  thine  before  my 
vision !  See,  I  will  sit  with  mine  eyes  closed  thus, 
while  thou  dost  conjure  her  up  before  my  fancy." 

"  Why,  then  thou  canst  not  see  me  !  " 

"Ay,  precisely!  'twas  my  intent  to  shut  out  that 

175 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

too  distracting  vision,  to  give  room  for  the  entrance 
of  another." 

"Prettily  spoken,  and  thou  shalt  have  thy  re 
ward  !  Listen,  then,  and  conjure  up,  if  thou  canst, 
a  form  straight  and  lissome  as  a  lily  stalk,  holding 
itself  with  pride,  yet  not  with  haughtiness." 

"  Faith,  ye  are  the  princess  of  narrators.  I 
could  listen  to  thee  forever." 

"  Oh,  but  her  face  !  You  should  look  on  that ! 
The  skin  is  creamy  white  and  the  nostrils  deli 
cately  cut,  but  you  note  them  not ;  nor  nothing  else, 
but  only  the  sweetness  of  the  mournful  eyes,  which 
droop  a  little  at  the  corner  as  in  sadness,  yet  can 
flash  into  laughter  at  a  word,  as  the  dark  brook 
sparkles  into  merry  ripples  if  a  stone  be  cast 
therein." 

"Nay,"  said  I,  "'tis  not  the  eyes  at  all  that 
give  that  troubled  look,  but  the  waving  line  of  the 
pencilled  eyebrow." 

"  How  now,  traitor  !     Hast  thou  seen  her  ?  " 

"  I  ?  Oh,  no  —  that  is  —  I  —  what  a  strange 
fancy!  When  thou  hast  reached  my  years,  Mis 
tress  Cicely,  thou  wilt  find  all  the  world  cut  up  into 
types,  and  when  one  describes  so  vividly  as  thou 
the  dullest  mind  supplies  the  missing  details  and 
fills  up  the  picture.  But  what  of  Cousin  Will  ?  Is 
he  still  at  Mount  Malado  ?  " 
176 


A   Visit  to  My  Neighbors. 

"  Bless  thee  !  no  :  he  is  up  and  away ;  off  again 
on  his  ship.  I  trust  he  carried  with  him  some  hope 
of  winning  the  maid,  for  I  ne'er  saw  man  worse 
love-struck.  Methinks  it  argueth  something  for 
him  that  she  hath  promised  to  pay  us  a  visit,  here 
at  Jordon's  Journey,  in  March.  Perchance  I  would 
invite  thee  at  the  same  time,  were  it  not  for  the 
fear  of  injuring  Will's  chances;  for  at  the  risk  of 
making  thee  vain  for  life,  I  will  own  that  thou  art 
the  handsomer  of  the  two ;  though  Will  was  ever 
counted  the  properest  man  in  Dorsetshire." 

I  let  the  woman  babble  on.  In  sooth,  mine  ears 
might  as  well  have  been  stopped  with  flax,  so 
swathed  was  I  in  mine  own  thoughts.  I  but  an 
swered  "Ay"  and  "No"  at  the  pauses  in  her 
discourse,  which  she  did  most  truly  describe  when 
she  called  it  a  rambling  path. 

Meanwhile  the  talk  of  the  others  had  drifted  on 
to  public  affairs. 

"  Has  any  ship  from  home  come  in  of  late? "  I 
heard  Master  Jordon  ask  of  Pory  when  I  wakened 
from  my  trance  of  forgetfulness. 

"  Ay,  *  The  Bona  Nuova.'  She  came  in  a  sen 
night  since,  come  Tuesday,  and  is  still  breaking 
bulk  at  James  City." 

"  And  what  news  doth  she  bring  from  London  ? 
As  good  I  trust  as  her  name  should  indicate." 

12 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  Why,  like  many  other  things  in  this  world,  't  is 
mixed  good  and  evil.  First,  good,  for  that  as  thou 
hast  mayhap  heard,  the  experiment  of  the  twenty 
maids  in  coming  out  to  seek  husbands  here  two 
years  since,  is  proved  such  a  success  that  Sir 
Edwin  Sandys  hath  planned  to  send  out  ninety 
young  women  pure  and  uncorrupt,  enough  to  make 
wives  for  half  the  planters  on  the  shores  of  the 
river.  They  are  even  now  on  their  way,  so  it 
seems." 

"  Ay,  that  is  good  news  indeed,  homes  and  fami 
lies  are  all  our  settlers  need  to  make  them  good 
and  stable  citizens.  But  what  is  the  evil  tidings, 
which,  as  thou  sayest,  doth  mix  with  the  joyfulness 
of  this  ?  Is  aught  wrong  at  home  ?  " 

"  Why,  so  far  as  I  can  learn  from  talking  with 
the  captain  and  from  the  letters  he  hath  brought 
the  governor,  public  affairs  are  in  a  tangle,  which 
threatens  to  snarl  worse  and  worse." 

"'Sdeath !  and  how's  that?  Is  the  Spanish 
marriage  still  on  ?  " 

"  Ay,  and  talk  of  Prince  Charlie  going  over  to 
Spain  in  body,  and  to  Rome  in  soul." 

"  But  the  Commons  —  will  they  consent  ?  " 

"Ay,  there  's  the  rub  !  What 's  to  happen  when 
the  king  will  and  the  Commons  won't  ? " 

"Gossip  says  that  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 


A   Visit  to  My  Neighbors. 

House,  being  closeted  with  the  king,  ventured  to 
remark:  'We  feel  sure  that  your  Majesty  doth 
intend  to  govern  us  according  to  the  common  will.' 

"'Say  not  so  ! '  cried  the  king,  in  a  towering  rage, 
*  I  intend  to  govern  according  to  the  common 
weal;  but  never  according  to  the  common  will?  " 

"  Then,"  exclaimed  Jordon,  impetuously,  "  all  I 
have  to  say  is,  let  him  not  in  that  spirit  meddle 
too  far  with  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses  !  " 

"  Ay,"  quoth  I,  "  the  rope  of  loyalty,  stretched 
three  thousand  miles,  must  needs  be  wetted  with 
good-will ;  else  't  will  snap  some  day." 

At  these  words,  Pory  jumped  up  from  his  chair 
and  began  to  shake  himself  at  such  a  rate  1 
thought  a  hot  coal  had  fallen  on  his  breeches,  but 
when  we  questioned  him  he  said  :  — 

"  Nay,  I  am  but  striving  to  shake  off  the  smell 
of  treason  from  my  garments.  I  call  upon  you  all 
to  witness  that  /  made  no  such  strictures  on  his 
Majesty.  If  he  doth  abbreviate  the  privileges  of 
Parliament,  why,  'tis  not  the  first  time  nice  cus 
toms  have  courtesied  to  great  kings." 

"  Pory,"  quoth  I,  quickly,  a  little  afraid  lest  our 
host  might  take  him  seriously,  "  thou  art  drunk  on 
Shakespeare.  Canst  thou  not  utter  two  words 
without  lugging  in  a  quotation  by  the  ears  ?  " 

"And  why  not?  I  hold  that  to  use  thine  own 
179 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

words  when  another's  do  better  fit  the  thought  is 
to  send  it  forth  clad  in  fustian  when  it  might  be 
clad  in  cloth  of  gold." 

"Ay,  but  fustian  doth  best  beseem  a  peasant, 
and  for  thy  thoughts  a  garment  of  thine  own  lan 
guage  doth  appear  more  equal." 

"  Nay,  nay,  look  not  so  fearfully,  Master  Jordon, 
we  are  not  at  sword's  points ;  but  only  using  the 
old  friend's  privilege  of  free  speech." 

"  Pory,  the  dial  yonder  says  four  o'  the  clock, 
and  warns  us  that  we  must  be  on  our  way." 

Master  Jordon  would  fain  have  pressed  us  to 
stay  the  night ;  but  I  could  not,  for  that  I  must 
needs  be  at  Flower  da  Hundred  to  receive  the  keys 
of  the  town's  gates  at  sunset,  in  the  king's  name. 

As  we  walked  down  to  the  wharf,  Pory  fell 
behind  with  Mistress  Cicely,  and  I  heard  them 
quarrelling  over  a  knot  of  ribbon  which  had  fallen 
from  her  hair,  and  which  he,  picking  up,  had 
refused  to  return. 

To  divert  Jordon's  attention  from  Pory's  indis 
cretion,  for  which  I  resolved  to  rate  him  roundly 
on  our  return  home,  I  began  to  talk  of  the  Indian 
servant  who  was  helping  Cupid  to  set  the  sail. 

"  He  seems  a  likely  lad,"  said  I. 

"  Oh,  ay,  we  could  scarce  live  without  Chantro. 
He  takes  my  gun  in  the  morning  and  brings  in 
180 


A   Visit  to  My  Neighbors. 

meat  and  game  enough  for  the  dinner,  which  he 
doth  then  proceed  to  prepare  and  serve.  He  is 
cook,  butler,  game-keeper  and  watch-dog,  all  in 
one." 

"  Yet  trust  him  not  too  far !  Indian  blood  will 
betray  new  friends  to  old  if  ever  a  conflict  comes." 

"  Mayhap,  yet  suspicion  hath  poisoned  dogs 
that,  trusted,  had  perchance  saved  a  life." 

"'Tis  an  honest  saying — give  me  thine  hand," 
quoth  I,  heartily ;  and  Pory  coining  up  with  us,  he 
and  I  leaped  aboard  the  skiff. 

"  A  simple,  loyal  nature  that !  "  said  I  when  we 
were  well  out  upon  the  river. 

"Yea,  and  safer  in  the  hands  of  his  Indian  than 
of  his  wife." 

"From  such  as  you,  I  can  well  believe  it,"  I 
answered,  smiling. 


181 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   MUTTERING   OF    THE   STORM. 

T    OFT  repeated  to  myself  these  words  Master 
•*•     Jordon  spake  to  me  at  parting.  — 

"  Suspicion  hath  poisoned  dogs  that  trusted,  had 
perchance  saved  a  life." 

I  resolved,  so  far  as  in  me  lay,  to  put  aside  the 
suspicion  which  is  ingrained  in  my  nature,  woven 
in  its  tissue  like  warp  and  woof.  I  could  never,  as 
some  men  do,  throw  myself  with  heartiness  into 
the  arms  of  new  acquaintances.  My  feet  walk 
slowly  in  the  paths  of  friendship,  but  so  far  they 
have  never  taken  a  backward  step. 

'T  was  with  me  also  in  public  as  in  private.  I 
could  never  hope  to  win  the  applause  which  threw 
up  its  hat  for  Pory  wherever  he  appeared,  and 
which  he  did  ever  most  richly  deserve.  He  was 
able  to  carry  at  a  dash  the  sympathy  of  the  people, 
while  I  must  needs  sit  down  in  tedious  siege  of 
their  judgment 

182 


The  Muttering  of  the  Storm. 

These  reflections  were  borne  in  on  me  in  particu 
lar  one  day,  after  a  talk  I  had  held  with  a  certain 
Master  George  Thorp,  who  had  a  plantation  a  little 
further  down  the  river.  He  was  a  very  worthy  and 
religious  gentleman,  but  his  piety  did,  in  my  esti 
mation,  lead  his  reason  by  the  nose.  He  had  the 
welfare  of  the  Indians  so  much  at  heart  that  he 
gave  little  thought  to  the  safety  of  his  own  people. 
Indeed  he  was  wont  to  enjoin  upon  them  the  Scrip 
ture  doctrine  of  turning  the  cheek  to  the  smiter,  / 
which,  as  we  all  know,  is  a  rule  for  angels  when 
their  wings  are  grown,  and  not  for  poor  sinners 
who  must  stumble  along  on  their  own  legs  through 
an  unfriendly  world. 

"Is  it  true,  Master  Thorp,  as  I  have  heard," 
quoth  I,  "  that  ye  have  of  late  had  all  thy  mastiffs 
killed  because  the  naturals  do  fear  them  ?  " 

"  Yea,"  said  he,  "  't  is  the  living  truth." 

"  And  is  it  true  also  thou  hast  built  for  that 
marauding  king  of  the  Werrascos.  a  fair  English 
house  wherein  he  delighteth  himself,  running  up 
and  down  the  stair,  and  turning  the  key  in  the 
lock,  forty  times  a  day  ?  " 

"Ay,  and  why  not?" 

"  Why  not,  in  sooth  ?  Because  thou  art  putting 
a  premium  on  the  plundering  of  thy  neighbors,  and 
later  perchance  of  thyself." 

183 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  And  pray,  dost  thou  not  believe  in  the  golden 
rule?" 

"  Verily,  I  do,"  quoth  I,  "  but  't  is  a  poor  rule, 
leaden  or  golden,  which  worketh  not  both  ways 
alike.  Besides,  you  who  cling  so  close  to  the  Bible 
should  bethink  yourself  how  the  law  came  before 
the  gospel,  and  ask  yourself  in  all  seriousness  if 
these  savages  were  not  well  kept  for  a  while  yet 
under  the  wholesome  discipline  of  fear." 

But  he  would  not  hearken  to  me  and  stoutly 
maintained  that  the  white  men  must  treat  the  reds 
as  they  would  themselves  be  treated,  let  the  issue 
be  what  it  might.  Perchance  it  argueth  that  I  am 
but  a  heathen  myself,  but  things  look  not  so  to  me. 
I  am  deeply  convinced  that  having  planted  a  col 
ony  here  in  the  wilderness,  it  is  our  solemn  duty  so 
to  protect  and  fortify  it  as  shall  strike  an  awe  into 
the  hearts  of  these  savages,  who,  after  all,  are 
but  half-tamed  beasts  of  the  forest,  like  at  any 
time  to  turn  and  bite  the  hand  they  have  been 
licking. 

Thus  I  argued,  and  thus  I  acted,  despite  the 
smiles  of  some  at  my  caution  and  the  sneers  of 
others  at  my  cowardice. 

"  We  shall  see  !  "  I  said  calmly  to  each  in  turn. 
"  I  mean  not,  if  I  can  help  it,  to  be  caught  tripping 
like  mine  uncle,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  because  in 
184 


The  Muttering  of  the  Storm. 

peace  I  neglected  the  discipline  which  is  the  best 
preparation  for  war." 

Every  day,  accordingly,  I  ordered  out  all  the 
men  capable  of  bearing  arms  and  put  them  through 
a  drill.  Sometimes  in  the  middle  of  the  night 
would  I  cause  the  alarm  to  be  sounded,  when,  not 
without  some  grumbling,  the  citizens  would  turn 
out  in  the  square,  and  take  up  the  position  assigned 
to  each  in  event  of  an  actual  attack  by  the  Indians. 

I  was  the  more  settled  in  this  course  of  action 
when,  one  day  early  in  March,  a  trader  came  into 
the  settlement  with  news  which  seemed  to  mine 
ears  not  a  little  alarming.  From  this  man's  story 
it  appeared  that  there  was  an  Indian  called  by  his 
own  people  Nemattanow,  but  by  the  English  nick 
named  Jack  o'  the  Feather,  because  he  was  wont 
to  wear  so  many  quills  for  his  adornment. 

"This  Indian,"  said  the  trader,  "went  one  day 
to  one  Morgan  his  house  and  persuaded  him  to  go 
over  to  Pamauke  to  truck.  The  unlucky  Morgan 
went  and  was  never  seen  alive  again.  Three  days 
after  their  setting  forth  together,  Nemattanow 
returned  alone  to  Morgan's  plantation,  where  he 
found  two  youths  who  had  been  the  planter's  ser 
vants.  They  asked  straightway  what  was  become 
of  their  master.  Jack  o'  the  Feather  replied  very 
innocent  that  he  was  dead. 

185 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  Then  said  one  of  the  youths,  '  'T  is  thou  that 
hast  slain  him  and  hast  insolently  set  his  cap  on 
thine  own  head.' 

" '  Yea,'  said  the  other,  '  and  we  will  have  thee 
up  for  judgment  before  Master  Thorp.' 

"  At  this  they  would  have  bound  him,  to  carry 
him  with  them  to  their  canoe,  but  he,  the  more 
emboldened  that  he  believed  himself  immortal,  did 
struggle  with  them,  and  had  gone  near  to  draw  his 
knife,  when  the  elder  of  the  two  youths  fired  his 
piece  at  him,  and  struck  him,  so  that  he  sank  upon 
the  ground. 

"  Thinking  him  but  slightly  wounded,  they  placed 
him  in  the  boat  and  set  out  for  Master  Thorp's 
plantation ;  but  by  the  way,  Jack,  finding  the  pangs 
of  death  upon  him,  desired  of  the  boys  two  things. 
The  one  was  that  they  would  not  make  it  known 
that  he  was  slain  with  a  bullet,  he  that  had  been 
honored  by  all  his  tribe  as  immortal ;  and  the  other 
was  that  he  might  be  buried  at  James  City  among 
the  English." 

The  folk  at  Flower  da  Hundred  were  inclined  to 
make  a  great  rejoicing  over  the  death  of  this  pesti 
lent  savage,  who  had  been  greatly  feared  among 
the  settlers  for  his  insolence  and  thieving  habits  ; 
but  I  felt  no  such  lightness  of  spirits,  for  I  feared 
me  the  slaying  of  Nemattanow  would  rouse  the 
186 


The  Muttering  of  the  Storm. 

great  Chief  Opechancano,  brother  of  Powhatan,  to 
revenge,  —  that  we  had  but  slain  the  sparrow  to 
stir  up  the  eagle. 

My  fears  were  somewhat  allayed  a  few  days  later, 
when  Pory  appeared  at  Flower  da  Hundred  on  his 
return  from  an  embassy  sent  by  his  Excellency 
the  governor  to  the  old  Indian  chief.  He  re 
ported  that  Opechancano  had  received  him  with 
friendliness  and  sworn  an  oath  with  his  hand  on  a 
brand  new  Bible,  that  he  would  not  cherish  anger 
against  the  white  men  for  the  red  man's  death. 

"  '  T  is  well,"  said  I,  "yet  do  not  put  too  much 
faith  in  Indian  oaths." 

Pory's  coming  brought  me  great  joy,  for  beside 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  once  more,  he  had 
brought  along  with  him,  as  part  of  his  escort,  two 
old  friends.  One  of  them  was  an  old  enemy  too, 
even  Captain  Spelman,  now  grown  to  be  a  pros 
perous  planter,  a  prop  of  the  colony,  and  a  stanch 
supporter  of  mine  own. 

"  'T  was  the  laying  out  by  thee,"  he  said  to  me, 
"  which  set  me  on  my  feet  ;  and  to  thee  more  than 
to  any  other  man  on  earth,  do  I  owe  gratitude  and 
such  service  as  in  me  lieth." 

Right  cordial  welcome  did  I  hold  out  to  him,  and 
still  heartier  to  his  companion,  who  was  none  other 
than  that  valiant  old  sea-dog,  Anthony  Chester. 
187 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

The  two  years  which  had  passed  since  we  parted 
had  left  few  traces  of  age  upon  him,  save  that  his 
hair  was  white,  and  the  skin  against  it,  by  contrast, 
browner ;  but  his  heart  beat  as  warm  and  true  as 
ever,  and  his  hand  clasped  mine  with  such  an  hon 
est  grip,  as  made  me  wince  with  pain  at  the  pres 
sure.  He  was  one  — 

"  Whose  even  thread  of  life  was  woven  round  and  full, 
As  if  Fate  spun  it  of  her  choicest,  whitest  wool." 

Among  the  most  treasured  memories  of  my  life, 
is  the  thought  of  those  peaceful,  pleasant  hours 
with  him  in  those  few  days.  He  seemed  to  live 
over  his  whole  life,  in  calling  up  for  me  the  stories 
of  his  adventures  by  sea  and  land.  Of  the  confi 
dence  he  had  made  me  that  night  on  shipboard  he 
never  spake  word  till  the  evening  before  he  was  to 
leave  for  James  City. 

We  were  sitting  late,  he  and  I  alone  together, 
and  betwixt  us  a  noggin  of  toddy  such  as  ever 
openeth  the  heart  and  mouth  of  a  man.  I  plunged 
the  loggerhead  deep  into  the  bed  of  glowing  embers 
and  then,  when  it  was  at  white  heat,  dipped  it  into 
the  beverage,  which  greeted  its  plunge  with  a  kiss 
of  welcome  and  a  bubbling  of  creamy  white  foam. 
The  captain  drank  his  mug  off  at  a  draught,  but 
the  heat  thereof  was  too  great  for  my  throat  and 
188 


The  Muttering  of  the  Storm. 

I  was  fain  to  sip  it  while  Chester  sat  watching  me 
in  silence. 

"  Humphrey,"  said  he,  "  't  is  a  strange  chance 
that  bringeth  us  together  again,  that  maid  and  me 
and  Giles  Lucas,  and  under  his  roof,  too." 

Ere  I  could  speak,  he  went  on  :  — 

"  I  have  had  of  late  a  blessed  sense  of  peace  and 
pardon,  as  tho'  my  transgression  had  been  blotted 
out.  The  punishment  may  fall,  that  were  but 
justice;  yet  I  feel  as  though  all  were  somehow 
set  right  between  my  soul  and  the  spirit  of  that 
dead  woman,  and  'tis  all  I  ask." 

We  sat  in  silence,  for  I  knew  not  what  to  say ; 
and  indeed  speech  seemed  but  an  impertinence 
to  such  a  mood  as  his,  which  was  but  a  sort  of 
communing  aloud  with  himself.  So  we  sat  still, 
watching  the  falling  of  the  embers  from  the  dying 
fire. 

At  length  he  rose  to  go  to  bed,  but  ere  lighting 
his  candle,  he  stood  a  moment  behind  me,  laying 
both  hands  on  my  shoulders. 

"Humphrey,  have  things  come  right  betwixt 
thee  and  Elizabeth  Romney  ?  "  he  said,  in  his  deep, 
kind  voice. 

I  shook  my  head,  for  I  could  not  trust  my  voice 
to  answer. 

"  Nay,  look  not  so  despairing !  All  shall  yet  be 
189 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

well  with  thee  in  God's  own  good  time.  Good 
night  and  God  bless  thee,  dear  lad  !  " 

So  tenderly  he  said  it  that  I  felt  the  hot  tears  in 
mine  eyes,  and  being  ashamed  of  them  I  bowed 
my  head  upon  my  arms  on  the  table.  Thus  I  sat, 
while  I  heard  his  footsteps  on  the  stair  and  listened 
to  the  sharp  closing  of  the  chamber  door  behind 
him. 

Then  I  lifted  my  head  and  said  aloud : — 

"  Good-night,  old  friend ! " 


190 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE  STORM  BREAKS. 

TT  was  a  wild  March  night. 
•*•  The  wind  howled  and  moaned  and  ever  and 
anon  rose  to  a  piercing  wail,  which  brought  me 
more  than  once  to  the  window  to  make  sure  that 
no  one  was  crying  outside  the  casement.  I  was 
glad  when  morning  broke,  and  gladder  still  when  I 
entered  the  kitchen,  and  saw  a  high  fire  blazing  on 
the  cheerful  hearth. 

The  table  was  already  prepared  for  breakfast, 
and  the  good  folk  waited  but  for  me.  The  board 
was  set  out  with  noggins  and  trenchers  of  wood, 
with  a  few  pewter  spoons  glittering  bright  in  the 
fire-light.  The  fare  too,  was  as  simple  as  the  set 
ting,  yet  both  were  cleanly  and  wholesome,  and 
't  was  a  cheery  party  that  gathered  round  the  table, 
with  much  talk  and  laughter  and  clatter  of  knives 
and  spoons. 

That  those  things  which  happened  after  may  be 
191 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

the  better  understood,  I  have  set  forth  in  a  diagram 
the  order  in  which  we  sat ;  as  thus  :  — 


,  HUMPHREY  HUNTOON. 

M 

in 

I 

0 

o 
o 

0 

o 

0 

POCONO. 


Capt.  CHESTER. 


PONTO. 


I  remember  me  that  at  the  head  of  the  board 
where  I  sat  was  a  mighty  haunch  of  venison  —  I 
could  ne'er  abide  the  smell  o'  the  meat  since.     As 
we  were  sitting  down,  two  Indians  with  strings  of 
wild  duck   over  their  shoulders,  tomahawks  and 
knives  in  their  belts,  and  long  pieces  in  their  hands, 
slipped  in  and  took  the  warm  seats  on  the  settles 
at  either  side  of  the  fire. 

The  mastiff  rose  and  howled  in  their  faces. 

II  Down,  King  !  "  I  cried ;  "  make  not  such  a  com 
motion!     'Tis  but  Ponto  and  Pocono,  who  have 

192 


The  Storm  Breaks. 

come  in  fifty  times  ere  now  for  a  hot  bite  of  a  cold 
morning.  Down,  I  say  !  " 

The  dog  seemed  but  half  satisfied,  and  lay  down 
growling  under  his  breath  as  'twere,  his  nose 
between  his  paws  and  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  intrud 
ers.  Pory  handed  the  new-comers  some  hot  corn- 
bread,  which  they  took  and  held  in  their  hands  as 
if  to  warm  them,  but  they  tasted  it  not. 

"  Captain  Chester,"  said  I,  as  I  plunged  my 
knife  into  the  meat,  "  dost  thou  remember  what 
day  this  is?" 

Ay,"  he  answered,  "  that  I  do.  'T  is  the  twenty- 
second  of  March,  the  anniversary  of  the  day  we 
met  the  Spanish  caravel  off  the  Isle  of  Domenica. 
Faith,  'twas  the  narrowest  squeak  e'er  the  'Mar 
garet  and  John '  had  for  her  life." 

"  I  believe  it  well,  for  sure  ne'er  did  any  one  of 
us  stand  in  such  deadly  peril,  nor  for  that  matter 
are  like  to  again ;  but,  thanks  to  God,  and  to  thy 
skill  and  bravery  we  came  safely  out." 

"Yea,"  said  the  captain,  solemn  and  slow,  "by 
the  mercy  of  the  Most  High  we  are  come  so  far." 

While  the  words  were  on  his  lips,  my  attention 
was  suddenly  called  to  the  maid,  Joan.  I  saw  her 
features  begin  to  twitch  strangely.  Her  lips  grew 
tense  and  drawn,  the  foam  gathered  at  the  mouth, 
round  which  was  a  streak  of  livid  purple.  Her 
13  193 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

eyes  seemed  starting  from  her  head  with  that  old 
look  of  terror  which  I  remembered  in  the  little 
bedroom." 

We  all  gazed  on  her  spellbound.  Slowly,  slowly 
she  twisted  herself  about  till  she  was  directly  front 
ing  Pocono,  when,  extending  her  rigid  arm,  she 
pointed  her  thin,  white  finger  full  in  his  face. 

Oh,  the  horror  of  that  moment !  'T  was  as  if 
these  savages,  brute  beasts  as  they  were,  saw  the 
angel  of  doom  pointing  its  fateful  finger  toward 
them. 

Pocono  sat  motionless  for  a  second,  held  like  a 
stone  image  by  that  awful  glance;  but  Ponto, 
springing  from  his  seat  with  a  blood-curdling  yell, 
raised  his  tomahawk  and  buried  its  blade  in  the 
brain  of  the  poor  maiden. 

At  the  same  instant,  Pocono,  awakened  from 
his  trance,  struck  his  knife,  deep,  deep  into  the 
heart  of  Anthony  Chester,  who,  without  a  groan, 
fell  heavily  to  the  floor  in  a  pool  of  blood.  Thus 
perished  by  the  hand  of  a  treacherous  savage  that 
gallant  sailor  who  had  braved  storms  and  gales  and 
equal  foes.  He  died,  —  died,  as  he  had  predicted, 
by  the  same  blow  that  felled  Joan  Lucas.  But  he 
did  not  die  unavenged.  Pory's  blade  flashed  in 
air,  and  when  it  came  down  another  corpse  lay  in 
these  bloody  shambles. 

194 


The  Storm  Breaks. 

I  was  making  towards  Ponto,  who  was  levelling 
his  musket  at  me,  but  Giles  Lucas  and  King,  the 
mastiff,  leaped  upon  him  at  the  same  instant. 
"  Leave  him  to  me  !  "  shouted  Lucas.  "  God  grant 
me  at  least  my  vengeance  !  " 

I  saw  that  he  stood  in  no  need  of  my  assistance, 
and  on  the  moment  an  instinct  told  me  that  this 
was  no  private  murder,  but  a  plot,  a  conspiracy. 

"  To  the  gates,  to  the  gates ! "  I  cried,  rushing 
into  the  street,  followed  by  Pory  and  Spelman. 

The  first  man  I  met,  fortunately,  was  Ensign 
Rosingham. 

"  Have  out  the  drummers  instantly  !  "  I  shouted. 
"  Sound  the  alarm  !  The  Indians  are  upon  us  !  " 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell,  the  call  to  arms 
sounded  out  and  Flower  da  Hundred  awoke  to  its 
peril. 

As  the  settlers  sprang  out  fully  armed  from  every 
doorway,  and  gathered  swiftly  in  the  centre  of  the 
town,  I  saw  with  grim  satisfaction  that  my  caution 
was  justified  of  itself.  It  was  no  mob  I  had  to  deal 
with,  but  an  army,  in  which  every  man  knew  his 
post.  They  marched  away  by  twos  and  threes, 
some  to  the  gates,  some  to  the  guns.  All  was  in 
order  to  meet  the  attack,  let  it  come  when  it  might. 

To  Pory  I  gave  command  of  the  little  force  at 
the  West  gate,  where  the  heaviest  onslaught  might 

195 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

be  expected.  Spelman  I  set  to  oversee  the  ord 
nance.  Then  I  started  on  a  journey  of  inspection 
round  the  palisade,  for  I  realized  that  a  single 
weak  spot  in  the  joining  of  the  logs  might  be  the 
ruin  of  us  all. 

As  I  reached  the  Eastern  gate,  the  one  which 
opens  toward  the  river  path,  the  man  at  the  peep 
hole  called  to  me,  — 

"  An  Indian  is  creeping  up  thro'  the  underbrush, 
and  making  strange  signs,  as  though  he  seeks  a 
parley." 

Apprehending  that  this  was  but  another  move  in 
the  dastardly  game  of  the  naturals,  I  applied  mine 
own  eye  to  the  hole.  Lying  flat  on  his  belly  in  the 
low  bushes,  not  ten  paces  from  the  gate,  I  saw 
with  amazement  the  figure  of  Chantro,  my  neigh 
bor  Jordon's  servant. 

"  So  this,"  thought  I,  "  is  the  end  of  my  friend's 
trustfulness,  that  he  and  his  lie  there  at  Jordon's 
Journey  weltering  in  their  blood  like  Chester  and 
the  poor  maid  yonder,  and  now  he  has  come  to 
trap  us  if  he  can. 

"  Halt,"  I  cried ;  "  another  step  and  thou  art  a 
dead  man ! " 

"Hush!  Speak  low  !"  answered  the  Indian's 
voice  from  the  thicket.  "  Master  Jordon  and  his 
women  in  the  woods,  and  pray,  «  Open  the  gate  ! ' ' 
196 


The  Storm  Breaks. 

"  Liar,"  I  groaned,  "  thou  hast  slain  them  and 
now  dost  seek,  under  cover  of  their  names,  to  open 
the  gate  to  thy  fellow-scoundrels." 

The  stolid  face  of  the  savage  showed  no  resent 
ment  at  my  words. 

"  Is  Master  Huntoon  there?"  he  asked,  in  the 
same  low,  harsh  guttural. 

"  Ay,  your  braves  have  not  slain  him  as  ye 
planned." 

"  Him  pick  up  Chantro's  arrow !  " 

With  these  words  the  Indian  drew  his  bow  and 
shot  an  arrow  high  into  the  air.  It  fell  just  inside 
the  walls  of  the  palisade,  almost  at  my  feet. 

I  stooped  and  picked  it  up.  'Twas  heavy. 
Something  was  tied  to  it.  God  !  'twas  my  ring  ! 

"  Wait  for  me,  I  am  coming  with  thee ! "  I 
called. 

"  No,  no !  Kill  every  one  by  that,"  answered 
Chantro. 

"  Then,"  cried  I,  "  fly,  swift  as  the  wind,  still  as 
death  !  Every  moment  is  precious.  We  will  open 
just  as  you  reach  the  gate  !  " 

The  Indian  was  gone;  wriggling  his  way  like  a 
snake  through  the  shrubbery  as  no  white  man 
could  ever  do.  My  heart  in  my  mouth,  I  stood 
there  watching  for  his  reappearing.  One  minute 
passed  —  two  —  three  —  Would  he  never  come  ? 
197 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

At  length,  at  a  point  some  distance  from  that 
where  he  had  first  appeared,  I  noticed  a  little  stir 
ring  of  the  underbrush.  It  was  they.  They  had 
crept  up  as  far  as  they  could  under  cover.  Now 
for  the  dash  across  the  open  ! 

The  distance  was  but  a  hundred  yards,  and  they 
were  fleet  of  foot  and  sped  by  terror,  but  to  me  it 
seemed  as  though  they  were  shod  with  lead.  Half 
the  distance  was  covered.  They  were  safe  —  no, 
they  had  been  seen,  and  a  shower  of  arrows  fell 
around  them,  while  behind  them  rose  that  blood 
curdling,  paralyzing  yelL  Who  shall  describe  it 
to  ears  that  have  never  caught  the  terror  of  that 
sound? 

I  felt  my  limbs  palsied  and  ready  to  sink,  but 
mine  eyes  were  glued  to  the  hole  beside  the  gate 
and  my  hand  was  on  the  bolt  ready  to  draw.  I 
counted  the  flying  band.  They  numbered  but  four  • 
Mistress  Jordon  half -dragged  along  by  her  hus 
band,  and  in  advance,  holding  close  to  Chantro 
and  keeping  pace  with  his  flying-footsteps,  the 
lithe,  light  form  of  Elizabeth  Romney.  Jordon 
stumbled  over  a  rock  in  the  path  and  slipped. 
Alas  for  him  and  his  charge  had  he  not  recovered 
himself  as  he  did  by  a  mighty  effort.  On  they 
came,  steadily.  Thank  Heaven  !  none  were  left  on 
that  fatal  field.  All,  all  were  saved;  if  indeed  it 
198 


The  Storm  Breaks. 

were  being  saved  to  share  our  peril.  While  I  was 
thinking  this  an  Indian  dashed  out  from  the  thicket 
at  one  side  and  raising  his  tomahawk,  swung  it, 
gleaming  round  his  head,  taking  aim  full  at  Eliza 
beth  Romney.  I  hesitated  the  fraction  of  a  second, 
for  it  is  a  last  resort  to  fire  at  flying  figures,  but 
dangerous  as  it  was,  it  must  be  chosen.  I  fired, 
and  the  savage  fell  dead  upon  the  ground.  The 
great  gate  swung  open  as  the  refugees  reached  it, 
then  slammed  to  behind  them  with  a  great  clang. 
As  the  heavy  bolt  fell  into  place,  we  gave  one 
mighty  cheer ;  but  there  was  scant  time  for  greet 
ing  or  for  rejoicing. 

"  Jordon,"  cried  I,  "  when  thou  hast  thy  breath, 
do  thou  keep  this  gate,  and  open  not  to  any  man 
living  without  my  orders.  Send  the  women  to 
Master  Jefferson's  house.  'T  is  the  strongest  bar 
ricaded,  and  the  safest ! " 

From  the  ground  whereon  she  had  sunk  ex 
hausted  from  her  desperate  flight,  Elizabeth  Rom 
ney  rose  then  and  faced  me.  In  her  eyes  was  the 
fire  of  a  fighting  race.  She  wasted  words  neither 
in  argument  nor  entreaty,  but  said  simply :  "  Give 
me  a  gun !  " 

It  was  her  hour  of  command.     I  have  ever  be 
lieved  that  such  an  hour  comes  to  every  strong 
soul,  at  some  crisis  in  life. 
199 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

Silently  I  handed  her  my  long  piece,  and  buckled 
about  her  slender  waist  my  belt  with  its  powder- 
horn,  bullet-purse,  and  touch-box. 

"  These,"  said  I,  "  are  for  the  enemy.  This  "  — 
handing  her  my  dagger  —  "  is  for  thyself.  Thou 
knowest  its  use.  If  the  gate  be  broken  in,  stab 
thyself  to  the  heart." 

"  I  will,"  she  answered,  and  her  voice  rang  true 
and  steady. 

So  we  met  after  nigh  three  years;  and  so,  for 
the  time,  we  parted. 


200 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

"OUR   LADY    OF    DELIVERANCE." 

TT  was  now  twelve  o'  the  clock.  From  Pory's 
•*-  gate  we  could  see  groups  of  Indians  skulking 
thro'  the  brush.  But  their  movements  seemed  un 
certain,  as  though  they  missed  a  leader. 

I  surmised  then,  what  I  afterwards  learned  was 
the  truth,  that  the  signal  waited  for  was  the  firing 
of  Pocono's  gun,  announcing  that  I  was  slain. 
They  had  counted  on  an  easy  victory  over  old 
Lucas  and  me,  but  their  plans  were  disconcerted  by 
the  extra  men  who  turned  the  tide  of  the  fight. 
The  murder  of  Joan  was  a  blunder  on  their  part,  — 
a  mistake  to  which  I  owed  my  life,  since  't  was  on 
me  that  the  blow  was  to  have  fallen.  They  were 
waiting  now,  I  judged,  for  reinforcements  which 
did  not  come. 

The  shadow  on  the  dial  marked  three  hours  past 
noon  ere  the  first  attack  was  made.  Then,  break 
ing  out  from  the  woods,  they  came  on,  not  in  a 

201 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

solid  column  like  English  soldiery,  but  from  behind 
every  tree  and  bush  like  the  legions  of  devils  they 
were,  waving  their  tomahawks  and  making  the 
forest  echo  with  their  wild  war-whoop. 

"  Give  them  the  culverin  ! "  I  ordered,  and  the 
great  guns  belched  out  their  fire,  killing  some,  and 
so  affrighting  others  that  they  could  not  stand 
against  the  fire,  and  retreated  to  the  shelter  of  the 
trees  once  more. 

Shortly  I  perceived,  skulking  around  to  the 
weaker  side  of  our  wall,  a  company  of  a  dozen 
Indians  bearing  lighted  fire-brands. 

"  Ha,"  said  Pory,  "  they  think  to  smoke  us  out 
like  'possums,  do  they  ? " 

"  Captain  Spelman,"  I  said,  "  take  three  men, 
good  shots,  and  follow  those  fire-brands  wherever 
they  go.  Move  thy  men  round  inside  as  fast  or  as 
slow  as  they  move  outside.  Pick  them  off,  one 
by  one." 

"  Ay,  sir,"  was  his  brief  answer.  It  was  done  ; 
and  so  well  done  that  within  a  half-hour  five  smoul 
dering  brands  lay  on  the  ground  with  five  dead  and 
wounded  Indians  beside  them,  while  the  other 
torch-bearers  had  retreated  to  the  brush  in  igno 
minious  defeat. 

So  far  we  had  lost  but  four  men.  Yet  was  the 
situation  growing  ever  more  and  more  grave,  for 
202 


"  Our  Lady  of  Deliverance.'1 

who  could  tell  what  reinforcements  were  coming 
up,  or  what  deeds  would  be  done  under  cover  of 
the  gathering  dark. 

We  were  but  fifty  to  their  hundreds,  and  should 
they  attack  in  force,  they  must  needs  conquer.  But 
our  successful  defence  had  led  them  to  believe  us 
forewarned  and  forearmed,  and  they  had  a  whole 
some  dread  of  the  garrison  of  Flower  da  Hundred, 
whose  fame  for  discipline  and  valor  was  gone 
abroad  amongst  the  savages  far  and  near. 

Several  of  our  men  had  already  had  hair-breadth 
escapes.  One  was  looking  through  his  peep-hole 
when,  of  a  sudden,  an  arrow  struck  him  full  in  the 
eye,  and  he  ran  home  howling  with  pain.  Another 
lost  a  leg  by  the  exploding  of  our  own  gun,  and  I 
saw  him  carried  off  on  a  board  more  dead  than 
alive.  For  myself,  I  had  the  narrowest  escape  of  all. 

As  I  stood  near  the  gate  giving  orders  to  a  sen 
try,  an  arrow  struck  me  square  in  the  breast. 
Surely  it  had  pierced  my  heart  and  stretched  me 
dead  on  the  ground,  for  I  had  had  no  time  to  don 
my  armour,  had  I  not  all  unwitting  worn  a  shield. 

The  point  of  the  arrow  was  turned :  but  the  pic 
ture  Betty  Romney  had  given  me  was  shattered 
into  a  thousand  fragments. 

"  He  shall  pay  for  that,"  I  muttered,  as  I  caught 
sight  of  a  tawny  arm  drawing  back  into  the  bushes, 
203 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

Snatching  a  gun  from  the  sentry,  I  fired,  and  with 
such  aim  that  I  saw  the  red  man  fall  crashing  to 
earth  like  some  great  forest  tree  when  the  axe  is 
laid  to  its  roots. 

So  the  battle  raged  with  varying  fortunes.  At 
length,  just  as  the  sun  was  setting,  Pory  came  to 
me.  "Wilt  thou,"  said  he,  "give  one  order  on 
faith?" 

"  Ay,  forty,  if  the  faith  be  pinned  to  thee." 

He  smiled.  "  Then,"  he  said,  "  do  thou  com 
mand  every  man,  when  my  whistle  blows,  to  cease 
firing  absolutely,  and  on  the  instant." 

This  was  I  the  readier  to  do  that  the  guns  needed 
cooling,  and  the  ammunition  was  running  low. 
Pory  disappeared,  and  I  sent  the  orders  to  every 
man  to  do  as  he  had  directed. 

Dusk  was  fast  falling.  The  tall  pines  stood 
black  against  the  wintry  sky.  The  bodies  of  the 
slain  lay  gaunt  upon  the  barren  plain  in  the  waning 
light.  It  was  a  weird  scene.  Suddenly,  above  the 
noise  of  the  fight  sounded  a  shrill  whistle.  In 
stantly  the  report  of  the  firing  ceased,  and  dead 
silence  succeeded. 

The  effect  was  unearthly,  indescribable.     As  I 

paused  in  breathless  suspense,  I  felt  Cupid  pull 

my  sleeve.     "  Look,  Mars  Humphrey,"  cried  he, 

almost  white  with  terror ;  and  looking,  I  saw,  rising 

204 


"  Our  Lady  of  Deliverance" 

slowly  above  the  wall,  a  gigantic  figure,  vast, 
vague,  mysterious  as  Fate  itself,  with  muffled  head, 
and  floating  white  drapery,  and  arms  outstretched 
threateningly  toward  the  foe. 

I  am  a  man  little  given  to  superstition;  but  I 
own  that  as  I  looked  on  this  giant  spectre  my 
brain  reeled  and  my  heart  stood  still. 

If  to  me  it  was  a  vision  full  of  awe  and  terror, 
what  must  it  have  seemed  to  those  savages !  With 
a  shriek  they  turned  and  fled  as  from  a  pestilence. 
It  was  a  wild  stampede.  Those  who  fell  were 
trodden  under  foot,  and  Giles  Lucas,  discharging  a 
culverin  into  their  midst,  the  blazed  path  was  red 
dened  with  gore,  so  that  for  years  after  it  was 
known  as  "  the  bloody  path." 

They  fled,  and  as  we  watched  their  rout,  a  wild 
passion  of  exultation  seized  on  us  all.  In  the 
frenzy  of  his  hatred,  Lucas  leaped  upon  the  pali- 
sado  and  yelled  a  parting  curse  after  them.  It  was 
his  last  word.  A  random  arrow  fired  by  a  retreat 
ing  brave,  struck  him  full  in  the  heart,  and  he  fell 
forward  on  his  face  —  dead. 

He  was  the  last  man  to  fall  in  the  combat. 

The  fight  was  won  and  we  were  saved.     Half 

dazed  over  our  sudden  victory  I  turned  me  toward 

the  market  place,  where  I  saw  women  and  children 

crowding  around  some  object  on  the  ground.     I 

205 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

joined  them,  and  then  I,  too,  stood  at  gaze ;  for 
there,  prostrate  on  the  earth  lay  the  spectre  which 
had  frightened  our  foes  more  than  a  thousand  of 
ordnance  could  have  done,  and  put  to  rout  an 
enemy  outnumbering  us  ten  to  one. 

I  laughed  when  I  saw  it  as  men  will  laugh  under 
such  a  strain,  and  't  was  long  ere  I  could  have 
done ;  for  behold  this  terrible  apparition  was  but  a 
well-sweep,  dressed  out  with  canvas  sheets  and 
stuffed  with  bolsters  and  pillows,  for  all  the  world 
like  the  scare-crows  I  remembered  of  old  in  the 
farmers'  fields  at  home. 

When  the  people  had  fairly  taken  in  the  meaning 
of  the  figure,  they  gave  one  mighty  shout  as  Spel- 
man  christened  it  "OUR  LADY  OF  DELIVERANCE." 
The  men  formed  a  triumphal  procession,  and 
bore  the  giant  image  to  the  space  before  the 
church,  where  they  joined  hands  in  a  joyful  dance 
around  her.  But  our  men  slept  on  their  arms  that 
night,  and  we  doubled  the  watch  at  every  gate. 
Mistress  Jordon  and  Elizabeth  Romney,  who  had 
had  no  sleep  for  nigh  forty  hours,  were  gone  to 
Thomas  Jefferson's  house,  under  promise  that  they 
should  be  wakened  if  aught  befell.  For  myself,  I 
could  not  think  of  sleep,  every  nerve  in  my  body 
was  wide  awake  and  crying  for  action.  I  was 
fairly  aroused.  I  inspected  each  bolt,  made  sure 
206 


"  Our  Lady  of  Deliverance" 

that  every  gun  was  loaded  and  primed.  Then  I 
came  back  to  the  watch-fire,  by  the  side  of  which 
Pory  had  laid  himself  down  with  that  universal 
consoler,  his  pipe. 

"  Pory,"  said  I,  accepting  the  light  he  offered, 
and  drawing  in  deep  draughts  of  the  fragrancy  of 
the  tobacco,  "'twas  a  brilliant  thought  of  thine. 
'Our  Lady  of  Deliverance'  was  a  patron  saint 
worthy  of  the  name." 

"  Ay,  that  she  was,"  answered  Pory;  "but  the 
device  was  none  of  mine." 

"  Not  thine  ?  and  whose  then  ?  " 

"It  sprang  full-fledged  from  the  brain  of  her 
whom  Mistress  Jordon  doth  call  *  Sister  Eliza 
beth  ! '  Verily,"  he  added,  "  't  is  the  bravest  spirit, 
and  the  readiest  wit  I  e'er  encountered." 

"So  it  was  her  device,"  I  murmured;  "then  it 
is  she  hath  saved  Flower  da  Hundred  !  'T  is  to 
her  that  we  owe  our  lives." 

"  Then,"  was  Pory's  most  unforeseen  response, 
"  why  dost  thou  not  pay  thy  share  of  the  debt  ?  " 

"  What  ?  —  how  ?  —  I  understand  you  not." 

Pory,  with  that  vexatious  slowness  which  ever 
marks  smokers,  drew  three  long  breaths  and  puffed 
them  out  one  by  one,  ere  he  replied. 

"  If  mine  eyes  deceive  me  not,  and  they  are  not 
given  to  playing  me  false,  this  Sister  Elizabeth  is 
207 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

none  other  than  Elizabeth  Devon,  the  unwed  maid 
of  James  City." 

I  felt  myself  shaking  like  a  leaf. 

"  Well,  and  what  then  ?  "  said  I.  "  Granting  that 
thou  art  right,  what  have  I  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Simply  this,  that  like  a  fool  thou  hast  fallen  in 
love,  and  like  a  greater  fool,  thou  hast  run  away 
from  the  woman  thou  lovest." 

"Nay,  not  a  fool  either  time,  John,  for  I  loved  a 
woman  worthy  to  be  loved,  and  I  ran  away  because 
she  loved  me  not,  and  my  presence  hampered  and 
might  have  greatly  harassed  her." 

"  Who  said  she  loved  thee  not  ?  " 

"  She  told  me  so  herself  in  round  terms." 

"How  oft?" 

"  As  oft  as  any  woman  shall  e'er  say  it  to  me  — 
once." 

"  There  again  art  thou  not  only  a  fool,  but  a 
coward  as  well.  If  thou  didst  storm  a  fortress 
which  yielded  not  upon  the  first  assault,  wouldst 
thou  raise  the  siege  and  run  away  sulking  ?  Fie, 
lad  !  Be  a  man  —  write  her  every  morning  and 
tell  her  every  evening  that  thou  wilt  never  give  her 
up  nor  cease  asking  her  till  she  capitulate.  That 's 
the  way  women  are  won." 

"  And  yet,  John,"  said  I,  slyly,  "  thou  art  still  a 
bachelor  at  forty  odd." 

208 


"  Our  Lady  of  Deliverance" 

"  I !  Oh,  yea  !  My  pipe  and  my  pouch  and  my 
jug  of  brown  ale  are  wife  enough  for  me;  but  I 
hate  to  see  a  man  run  away  from  a  winning  fight, 
and  I  say  that  Elizabeth  Devon,  whatever  she  may 
have  said  or  writ  a  twelvemonth  since,  will  have 
thee,  if  thou  ask  her  now  in  earnest.  I  saw  her 
look  at  thee  this  day.  I  heard  her  say  <•  Humphrey  !  * 
And  then  I  knew.  But  make  up  thy  mind  quickly  ! 
for  an  thou  ask  her  not  within  three  days,  I  will 
win  her  from  thee  by  the  rivalry  of  a  man  who  is 
not  afraid  to  ask  for  what  he  wants,  and  to  keep  on 
asking  till  he  gets  it." 

"  Thanks,  John  !  "  quoth  I,  wringing  his  hand,  — 
"grant  me  three  days,  and  thou  hast  my  leave  to 
begin." 

"  She  's  too  good  for  thee." 

"Ay,  and  for  thee." 

"Ay,  and  for  any  man  — 't  is  she  who  is  in 
very  truth  OUR  LADY  OF  DELIVERANCE  !  " 


209 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

IN  WHICH  WE  BURY  OUR  DEAD. 

HE  next  few  days  brought  us  crushing  tidings 
from  all  parts  of  the  colony.  The  massacre 
had  been  well  planned.  At  the  very  instant  when 
the  murderous  knife  fell  on  Anthony  Chester,  a 
hundred  tomahawks  were  raised  by  hearthstones  of 
households  as  unsuspecting  as  ours.  In  the  streets 
of  the  towns,  on  the  fields  of  the  lonely  plantations, 
everywhere  the  knife  of  the  red  man  fell  upon  the 
white. 

At  Falling  Creek,  twenty-two  were  slain ;  at 
Mulberry  He,  five;  at  Martin's  Hundred,  seventy- 
three;  and  at  Powel  Brook,  Captain  Powel  and 
twelve  others. 

Previous  kindness  availed  not  to  stay  the  mur 
derer's  hand.  Master  Thorpe  was  slain,  —  cruelly, 
shockingly  butchered,  —  he  who  had  done  more 
than  any  other  toward  striving  to  conciliate  the 
implacable  Indian. 

210 


In  Which  we  Bury  our  Dead. 

With  all  these  fresh  tidings  of  disaster,  a  deeper 
and  deeper  shadow  fell  upon  our  gloom,  black 
enough  before.  All  Flower  da  Hundred  was  in 
mourning.  Not  a  house  that  did  not  hang  out  its 
symbol  of  sorrow  for  some  friend  or  relative  slain 
in  that  cruel  slaughter. 

My  heart  was  still  further  saddened  by  the  news 
that  my  faithful  friend  Oropax,  was  dead  of  a  fever. 
Had  he  lived  I  should  not  have  been  taken  thus 
unwarned. 

On  the  second  morning  after  the  massacre,  we 
buried  our  dead.  The  heads  of  Ponto  and  Pocono 
were  cut  off  and  set  upon  the  walls  above  the  gates 
as  a  warning  to  their  tribe,  but  to  their  bodies  we 
gave  decent  burial. 

Our  own  dead  were  laid  in  coffins  made  out  of 
rude  boards ;  but  their  bareness  was  hidden  by 
boughs  of  cedar  and  hemlock.  Mistress  Jordon 
and  Elizabeth  Romney  wrought  for  Joan  Lucas  a 
white  shroud  of  the  softest  and  finest  lamb's  wool. 
Wrapped  in  it  she  lay  still  and  peaceful,  —  the 
troubled  brain  at  rest  now,  the  smooth,  white  lids 
closed  over  the  far-seeing  eyes,  and  all  earthly 
visions  of  trouble  and  terror  shut  out  forever. 

On  Captain  Chester's  coffin,  one  skilled  in  such 
work  carved  an  anchor,  and  on  his  heart  under 
neath  his  doublet  I  laid  —  I  trust  I  did  no  wrong  — 

211 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

a  picture  found  in  Joan's  chamber,  the  double 
of  one  borne  to  the  grave  on  the  breast  of  Giles 
Lucas. 

The  funeral  was  simple  yet  solemn.  The  service 
was  read  at  home  within  these  walls  builded  by 
Giles  Lucas's  own  strong  arms.  After  that  the 
whole  town  did  follow  the  coffins  to  their  final 
resting-place  on  a  little  hillock  in  the  centre  of  the 
town  before  the  church. 

They  were  laid  in  one  grave,  and  over  them  we 
raised  a  cross  on  which  was  written  :  — 

To  YE  MEMORY 

OP 
ANTHONY   CHESTER 

CAPTAIN  OF  H.  M.  S.  MARGARET  AND  JOHN 

AND  OF 
GILES   LUCAS 

AND 
JOAN,    HIS    DEARE   DAUGHTER 

MURDERED  BY  YE    INDIANS 

MARCH   YE  TWENTY-SECONDE, 

1622. 

When  the  sad  ceremony  was  over  we  repaired 
to  the  chapel,  where,  on  bended  knees,  we  did  ren 
der  humble  and  hearty  thanks  for  the  deliverance 
of  our  town  from  the  hostile  hand  of  the  naturals, 
212 


In  Which  we  Bury  our  Dead. 

After  this  we  separated,  going  every  man  to  his 
own  house. 

I  was  the  last  to  turn  away  from  the  door  of  the 
church,  and  as  I  looked  back  I  saw  Elizabeth 
Romney  kneeling  beside  the  new-made  grave.  Her 
cloak  was  slipping  back  and  her  hands  were  clasped 
as  if  in  prayer. 

"  Come,"  said  I,  going  gently  to  her  side,  "  let 
not  one  funeral  be  the  making  of  another,  as  so 
often  cometh  to  pass.  The  ground  is  damp  and 
chill,  and  after  thine  excitement  thou  must  run  no 
such  risks  of  fever." 

"  Humphrey,"  said  she,  "  I  have  been  asking 
pardon  of  this  dead  maid  for  the  cruel  and  heart 
less  words  I  said  concerning  her  on  that  Christmas 
day  when  thou  didst  send  Cupid  to  me  with  the 
bear-skin  and  the  letter.  'T  is  no  excuse  for  me 
that  I  was  sore  vexed." 

"  Nay,  Elizabeth,"  I  answered,  soothing  her  as 
best  I  might,  for  she  was  much  shaken  and  trem 
bling  violently.  "  She  knew  naught  of  thy  vexa 
tion,  and  was  not  of  a  nature  to  harbor  malice, 
had  she  known.  I  was  the  only  one  who  felt 
the  sharpness  of  thy  words,  which  did  cut  the 
more  deeply  because  I  dreamed  not  of  having 
vexed  thee.  Tell  me  now,  I  pray  thee,  wherein 
I  did  offend." 

213 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"  'T  was  no  offence  of  thine,  only  't  is  ever  a  little 
hard  for  the  old  friend  to  be  forgot  for  the  new." 

"  Forgot !  "  I  exclaimed,  taking  in  mine  the  cold 
little  hand  which  hung  white  against  her  black 
gown. 

"  Ah,  here  you  are  ! "  called  Ensign  Rosingham's 
voice  from  the  street.  "  Mistress  Jordon  hath  sent 
me  in  search  of  '  Sister  Elizabeth  '  and  laid  her 
commands  upon  me  not  to  return  without  her." 

"  She  is  safe  with  me,  as  thou  mayst  report  to 
Mistress  Jordon,"  said  I ;  "we  are  coming  home 
at  once." 

"  Why,  then,  we  may  all  walk  along  together," 
says  he  ;  and  finding  him  no  more  to  be  shaken 
off  than  a  burr  that  hath  set  its  pricks  in  thine 
hosen,  I  walked  along  stiff  and  silent  as  far  as  the 
gate,  —  my  gate,  for  Master  and  Mistress  Jordon 
had  most  kindly  consented  to  my  entreaty  that  they 
and  Elizabeth  Romney  would  tarry  with  me  through 
those  first  trying  days  when  every  spot  seemed 
haunted.  Methinks  I  could  not  have  borne  it  to  be 
alone. 

Seeing  that  there  was  no  chance  of  further 
speech  with  Elizabeth,  I  entered  the  house  leaving 
her  still  talking  with  Rosingham  by  the  gate. 
Perchance  'tis  not  her  fault  that  she  doth  treat 
every  man  alike  with  such  graciousness,  but  'tis 
214 


In    Which  we  Bury  our  Dead. 

none  the  less  vexing  to  one  who  would  fain  believe 
himself  favored  above  all  others. 

Could  Pory  have  been  right  the  other  night? 
Could  that  have  been  the  explanation  of  the  mes 
sage  sent  by  Cupid?  That  might  match  well 
enough;  but  what  of  the  letter?  Well,  I  should 
soon  know  now  ! 

The  house  stood  silent  and  empty.  I  entered 
the  room  where  Giles  Lucas  had  slept,  out  of  which 
opened  Joan's  chamber.  There  stood  her  little 
bed  draped  in  white,  and  through  the  snowy  cur 
tains  drawn  across  the  checkered  pane  the  sunlight 
played  on  the  deal  floor.  Lying  on  the  broad  win 
dow  shelf  was  a  little,  old,  worn  Bible.  Moved  by 
some  sudden  impulse  I  crossed  the  room  and 
picked  it  up. 

The  book  opened  at  a  mark  made  of  a  gay  rib 
bon  I  had  brought  to  Joan  from  a  James  City  mar 
ket-day  fair,  and  mine  eyes  fell  upon  the  words: 
"  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man 
lay  down  his  life  for  his  friend" 


215 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE   RING. 

IT  was  the  evening  of  the  third  day  after  the 
massacre,  the  event  from  which  we  had  come 
to  date  all  things  at  Flower  da  Hundred.  Coming 
home  from  my  watch  and  the  drilling  of  the  men, 
I  found  Elizabeth  Romney  sitting  by  the  fire. 

«  What !  all  alone  ?  "  quoth  I. 

"  Yea,  since  Mistress  Jordon  is  gone  to  sit  with 
the  little  son  of  Master  Jefferson,  who  is  sick.  She 
would  not  hear  of  my  going,  tho'  I  was  quite  as 
well  able  as  she.  She  hath  a  wonderful  kindness 
of  heart,  tho'  her  manner  be  sometimes  light." 

It  gave  me  a  sudden  thrill  to  see  the  maiden 
seated  thus  at  my  hearth-stone  as  I  had  seen  her 
so  oft  in  my  dreams.  She  sat  with  her  feet  thrust 
out  to  the  fire,  and  her  hands  clasped  one  in  other, 
palm  upward,  in  her  lap. 

As  I  drew  up  my  chair  opposite  her  and  stretched 
my  hands  toward  the  friendly  blaze,  I  noticed  with 
216 


The  Ring. 

a  shock  how  ill  she  looked.  Dark  lines  had 
gathered  under  her  eyes,  and  the  pupils  were  large 
and  distended. 

"  You  are  ill,"  said  I ;  "  I  see  it  as  well  as  Mis 
tress  Jordon.  You  are  worn  out,  and  should  even 
now  be  in  bed  and  under  the  influence  of  a  sleep 
ing  potion." 

But  she  only  shook  her  head.  "  Nay,"  said  she, 
"  I  feel  as  if  I  should  never  sleep  again ;  and  in 
truth,  I  scarce  wish  to,  lest  my  slumbers  be  haunted 
by  the  sights  I  have  witnessed  and  the  sounds  mine 
ears  have  heard. 

"  It  must  have  been  just  there,"  she  added, 
shuddering  as  she  pointed  to  a  dark  spot  on  the 
boards,  "  that  Captain  Chester  sat,  and  there  he  fell 
dead  upon  the  floor.  To  think  that  but  for  the 
chance  of  the  moment,  it  might  have  been  thou  !  " 

"  Ay,  and  why  the  worthier  life  should  have  been 
sacrificed,  I  know  not.  But  come,"  I  added, 
moving  my  chair  so  that  it  covered  the  blood 
stains  on  the  floor  upon  which  Elizabeth's  eyes 
were  fixed,  "  since  memory  is  working  so  strongly 
in  both  of  us  to-night,  let  us  drive  her  further  afield, 
and  try  which  of  us  hath  the  livelier  remembrance 
of  old  days.  I  do  remember  thee  in  a  sprigged 
chintz  dress,  and  scarlet  shoes,  playing  by  the 
brook  at  Cumnor  Hall." 

217 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

"And  I,"  said  she,  brightening,  "do  recall  thee, 
in  thy  suit  of  tawny  velvet,  riding  thy  horse, '  Prince 
Charley,'  at  a  break-neck  gallop  across  the  downs 
by  the  sea;  and  I  remember  how  thou  didst  laugh 
at  my  fears,  and  only  urged  on  thy  horse  the  more 
to  prance  and  curvet  when  I  screamed  and  clapped 
my  hands  to  mine  eyes." 

"  And  I  do  recall  one  day  years  after,  when  I 
rode  under  thy  window,  and  thou  didst  throw 
down  to  me,  having  first  touched  it  with  thy  lips,  a 
sprig  of  lad's-love." 

"  Nay,  nay  !  'T  was  no  lad's-love  ;  't  was 
maiden's-pride." 

"  Indeed  !  "  quoth  I,  "  and  was  it  so  ?  'T  is 
rare  that  such  a  question  is  not  outlawed  after 
ten  years ;  but  I  have  evidence  not  to  be  gainsaid, 
and  I  do  here  desire  leave  to  lay  it  before  the  Court." 

With  this  I  pulled  forth  from  my  breast  the 
packet  which  I  had  worn  next  my  heart  for  more 
than  three  years,  the  bitter  and  the  sweet  together; 
the  lad's-love  and  the  lady's  letter.  Sooth  to  say, 
I  had  clean  forgot  how  the  flower  was  wrapped, 
but  as  I  opened  it  out,  her  quick  eye  caught  the 
seal  upon  the  paper. 

"  Why,  't  is  the  Romney  arms!  "  quoth  she. 

"  Ay,"  answered  I,  "and  why  not,  since  't  was  a 
Romney  hand  that  writ  the  letter  ? " 
218 


The  Ring. 

"Faith,  I  comprehend  not  this  puzzle.  Is  it 
from  my  father's  hand?" 

"  Nay,  mistress,  I  were  scarce  like  to  carry  thy 
father's  writing  round  the  world  with  me.  But 
thy  words  —  " 

"  My  words  ?  " 

"  Ay,  thine,  and  crueller  did  no  maiden's  pen 
ever  trace." 

"  Give  me  the  letter  —  quick !  " 

"Why,  there,  then!  Take  it!  Perchance  'tis 
so  common  for  hearts  to  be  in  the  way  of  thy  foot 
that  thou  canst  scarce  remember  which  one  it  was 
that  thou  didst  tread  on  three  years  since." 

She  snatched  the  letter  from  my  hand  and  bent 
near  the  fire  to  read  it  the  more  clearly.  I  watched 
the  firelight  play  on  her  little  ear  and  along  the 
delicate  line  of  her  throat.  Having  finished  the 
letter  she  folded  it  slowly,  and  handed  it  back  to 
me  with  an  air  of  deep  disdain. 

"And  thou,"  she  said  scornfully,  "didst  think 
that  I  could  write  such  stuff  as  that!  —  / — Eliza 
beth  Romney!  Why,  my  chamber-maid  would 
write  better  to  my  lacquey.  At  least,  she  would 
put  her  cross  to  nothing  so  cheap,  so  poor,  so 
unmaidenly  !  " 

T  sat  there,  frozen  stiff  by  the  coldness  of  her 
scorn.  The  letter  not  hers  !  She  denies  it !  The 
219 


Tkt  fftad  of  a  Hundred. 

~::~    ••"  n :  r .  r  i  rru~i  .ir.i  rrur.z.  .is  rr.v  _r:.;~ 

to  take  in  the  thought.    At  length  I  burst  oat,  — 

"  Thai,  in  God's  name,  who  did  write  it  if  thou 
didst  not  ?  ** 

4i  I  know  not  and  I  care  not  That  which  bites 
into  my  soul  like  acid  into  iron  is  the  thought  that 
thou  shouldst  know  me  so  little.  Thinkest  thou  if 
that  same  Jesuit  priest  who,  as  mine  instinct  tells 
me,  di<J  devise  this  letter  in  my  name,  had  come 
to  me  with  a  bit  of  writing  which  did  proclaim 
Hu-;-.rty  H.-.::  :-  :v-r  r.ls  :-.--  5:  ".!-.---  i  :"-:.tf 
or  a  coward,  think'st  thou  I  would  have  credited 
the  false  witness  ?  Not  though  it  bore  the  seal  of 
thy  house  on  every  page.  I  would  have  gone  to 
thre.  —  -  :t  to  icsuk  thee  with  the  question  if  it 
were  Hue;  bat  to  in  juire  of  thee  how  best  todis- 
:  :vtr  iz.d  iizir '..  hid  ^.ktr.  :>.; 

:      -    '. 


iwn  back  as  if  to  defy 
I  fel:  urrtr'.v 


-  And  yet,"7  said  I,  falteringlv,  "  I  did  receive  it 
-.- :~.  :.-;-t  :~~  :i:J:tr'5  ':.~^-.i 

I  repented  me  bitterly  of  die  words  as  soon  as 
spoken,  for  I  saw  a  quick  look  of  anguish  on  her 

220 


The  Ring. 

face.  A  sudden  pallor  followed  the  red  flush  of 
maidenly  pride,  and  her  head  sinking  on  her  arm, 
she  fell  to  sobbing  low  but  deep. 

"  O  Humphrey !  And  he  told  me  that  thou 
hadst  left  England  partly  to  seek  thy  future,  but 
still  more  because  thou  didst  suspect  I  cared  for 
thee  more  than  maiden  should,  whereas  thy  feeling 
for  me  was  but  that  of  a  brother  for  a  sister." 

"He-  Did  he  dare  to  say  that?  He  shall 
repent  it !  " 

"  Hush,  Humphrey !  Hast  thou  taken  no  note 
of  this  ?  "  and  she  pointed  downward  to  her 
mourning  gown. 

"  I  had  noted  it  indeed,"  said  I,  with  sudden 
enlightenment ;  but  methought  't  was  worn  but  in 
harmony  with  our  mourning  world  here  at  Flower 
da  Hundred." 

"  Nay,  't  is  worn  for  my  father.  A  letter  from 
my  cousin  a  fortnight  since  told  me  of  his  death,  — 
how  he  fell  from  his  chair  at  table  and  never  did 
speak  word  more.  So  you  see  he  died  without 
forgiving  me.  'T  is  passing  hard !  And  now  I 
must  go  home  and  live  alone  in  that  old  Hall, 
echoing  with  the  memories  of  the  past.  I  shall 
grow  old  and  ugly  and  bitter  as  Bess  of  Hardwick." 

Her  face  as  she  spoke  thus  wore  such  a  look  of 
settled  gloom  as  made  me  resolve  to  prick  her  out 

221 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

of  melancholy  though  it  roused  her  to  anger. 
Wrath  I  could  bear,  but  not  this  despair. 

"  Elizabeth  Romney,"  said  I,  "  thou  art  a  riddle 
past  my  solving.  A  thousand  times  since  Fate 
threw  us  together  once  more  so  strangely  here  in 
the  wilderness,  have  I  longed  to  ask  thee  to  solve 
thine  own  mystery  for  me.  Oft  would  I  have 
spoken,  but  straightway  after  each  word  of  kind 
ness,  each  genial  glance,  thou  hast  suddenly  frozen 
again.  Before  a  poor  mortal  could  warm  himself 
in  the  sun,  behold  the  snow  was  falling." 

"  Perchance,"  said  she,  turning  her  face  toward 
me  on  her  arm,  with  the  eyes  still  downcast,  but 
the  shadow  of  a  dimple  showing  in  her  cheek, 
"  perchance  the  mortal  was  so  slow  that  Summer 
turned  to  Winter  while  he  delayed." 

"Ay,"  said  I,  "I  am  slow,  but  by  heavens  !  I 
am  slower  to  yield  than  to  win.  I  swear  I  will 
wait  for  thee  till  Winter  turn  to  Summer  again. 
O  child,  child,  have  you  not  made  me  suffer 
enough?  See,  Elizabeth,  here  is  the  ring  my 
mother  bade  me  place  on  the  finger  of  my  be 
trothed  wife,  the  ring  thou  didst  return  to  me  on 
Chantro's  arrow.  Now  it  is  come  back  to  thee 
again.  Wilt  thou  wear  it  ?  " 

Silently  and  all  trembling  she  held  out  her  hand ; 
and  kneeling  there  beside  her  in  this  spot,  doubly 

222 


The  Ring. 

hallowed  by  love  and  death,  I  slipped  the  star 
sapphire  on  her  finger,  and  kissed  fervently  as 
reverently  the  hand  given  thus  into  my  keeping. 

**  Humphrey,  forgive  my  father  !  "  she  whispered. 

"  Thy  people,"  I  answered,  "  are  henceforth  my 
people,  and  to  the  dead  all  things  are  forgiven." 

My  head  was  bowed  upon  the  arm  of  her  chair, 
and  she  laid  her  hand  upon  my  hair,  and  silence 
born  of  happiness  too  deep  for  words,  fell  upon  us. 

"  And  so,"  she  said  at  length,  twinkling  off  the 
tears,  for  she  could  never  be  serious  long  at  a  time, 
"  my  nurse's  tale  comes  true  after  all,  '  And  they 
married  and  lived  happy  ever  after.'  " 

While  she  was  yet  speaking,  Master  and  Mis 
tress  Jordon,  and  after  them  Spelman  and  Pory, 
entered  the  room.  Mistress  Betty,  who  loveth  not 
to  lay  bare  her  feelings,  laid  her  fingers  on  her  lips 
to  beckon  me  to  silence ;  but  Pory's  eye  was  too 
quick  for  her. 

"  I  do  commend  thee,  Sister  Elizabeth,"  quoth 
he,  "when  thou  wouldst  beckon  thy  lover  to  keep 
silence  concerning  thy  betrothal,  do  it  not  with  the 
finger  which  weareth  his  ring" 

"  Faith,"  said  I,  rising,  but  with  no  haste,  "  ye 

are  come  in  good  time,  friends,  to  wish  us  '  God 

speed.'  "    Then,  amid  much  wonderment  and  many 

explanations  we  all  fell  to  shaking  hands,  and  Mis- 

223 


The  Head  of  a  Hundred. 

tress  Cicely  kissed  and  cried  over  Betty  Romney, 
and  drew  her  away  with  her  to  her  chamber. 

At  the  door,  however,  Mrs.  Jordon  paused,  and 
shaking  her  finger  at  me,  with  something  of  her 
old  lightness  which  had  fallen  from  her  of  late,  she 
said,  smiling,  — 

"  I  have  a  lecture  for  thee  yet.  I  have  not  for 
got  that  day  at  Jordon's  Journey,  when  thou  didst 
lead  poor  innocent  me  on  to  talk  of  Sister  Eliza 
beth.  Look  to  him  well,  Betty,  lest  he  cozen  thee 
as  completely  as  he  did  me  that  day.  I  can  see 
him  yet,  as  he  sat  there  with  his  eyes  shut,  striving 
to  conjure  up  this  unknown  being.  Oh,  my  de 
scription  was  wondrous  vivid,  so  he  said.  A  fraud, 
Betty,  an  arrant  knave,  —  I  wish  thee  joy  of  him  !  " 

With  these  words  the  door  closed  upon  the 
women,  and  we  saw  neither  Mistress  Cicely  nor 
Betty  Romney  more  that  night. 

We  were  married  in  the  little  chapel.  I  remem 
ber  as  in  a  dream  the  friendly  faces,  the  strains 
of  the  wedding  hymn,  and  the  voice  of  the  white- 
robed  priest,  as  joining  our  hands,  he  did  rever 
ently  pray  to  the  Author  of  everlasting  life :  "  Send 
thy  blessing  upon  these  thy  servants,  this  man  and 
this  woman  whom  we  bless  in  thy  name ;  that,  as 
Isaac  and  Rebecca  lived  faithfully  together,  so 
224 


The  Ring 

these  persons  may  surely  perform  and  keep  the 
vow  and  covenant  betwixt  them  made,  whereof 
this  ring,  given  and  received,  is  a  token  and  a 
pledge." 

As  the  priest  spake  these  words,  a  ray  of  sun 
light  struck  through  the  tiny  panes  of  the  dia 
monded  window,  full  on  the  star  sapphire  in  its 
setting  of  gold,  as  it  lay  there  on  the  finger  of 
Elizabeth  Romney.  Thus  it  rested  while  the  final 
words  were  said :  — 

"  What  God  hath  joined  together  let  no  man  put 
asunder." 


THE   END. 


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